AND BERNIE,
My new state wants to loosen the laws...Story below...
Soooo glad I got out of NY...
It was 80 here yesterday tooo.
Shooting ATA at the club this morning in 70 degree weather..
A lot of pluses for this move...
Dave in SC
SC may allow concealed guns without permit
By JIM DAVENPORT, Associated Press The Times and Democrat | Posted: Thursday, February 17, 2011 6:30 am | (3) Comments
COLUMBIA - A House panel on Thursday will take up a bill that would allow anyone who can legally own a firearm in the state to carry a concealed weapon without a permit.
The move to loosen gun laws comes in the wake of the Jan. 8 Arizona shootings that killed six and left U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords recovering from a gunshot wound to the head, as well as a Dec. 14 incident in Florida where an armed man threatened school board members before he was fatally shot by security.
But rather than seeking to tighten gun restrictions, as some Democrats have urged President Barack Obama to do on the federal level, South Carolina lawmakers are looking at how to make it easier to carry weapons for protection.
A House panel last month rejected efforts to give public officials more freedom to carry guns to protect themselves because gun rights advocates said they shouldn't be singled out for special treatment. Instead, that House panel now will consider doing away with the permit requirements for carrying concealed weapons. The measure has 36 of the House's 123 members signed on as supporters and few vocal opponents.
"People have a constitutional right by the Second Amendment to keep and bear - not just keep, but bear - arms for self protection," said state Rep. Mike Pitts, a Republican and retired Greenville police officer who introduced the bill Jan. 12. Pitts noted that recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions have affirmed rights to carry guns for personal protection. "This would be a purist form of the Second Amendment."
But it's a trip to the Wild West, said opponent and state Rep. Joe Neal, a Hopkins Democrat. "We have descended into the depths of madness," he said.
The legislation also would give concealed weapons holders a break. For instance, they now can't go to place that serves alcohol even if they're just eating a meal. Pitts still wants to keep guns out of bars, but says they should be allowed in restaurants that serve alcohol, unless the business prohibits concealed weapons.
Concealed weapons permits would still be needed for people who travel to 17 states that recognize South Carolina's gun permits, including Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Pitts said the looser gun law is needed because "the world is becoming a more and more dangerous place and law enforcement can't be everywhere."
Even as a retired police officer, Pitts said, concealed weapons are an equalizer. "No one should ever be put in a position of having to watch their family hurt or killed by anyone and not have the ability to stop that individual. No American citizen should be put in that position," Pitts said.
But Neal said the change would lead fewer people to get concealed weapons permits and go through the safety and background checks that go with them.
"At least you've got to prove that you can handle a weapon safely and not endanger the public or yourself, Neal said. "How does this make us safer if everyone is armed everywhere so when someone gets angry they have a gun right at hand?" Neal asked.
Robert Butler, a lobbyist for South Carolina GrassRoots GunRights, said the legislation moves in the right direction, but has problems.
For instance, Butler notes, it could lead people to break federal laws covering how guns must be locked up at places like school property. Violating the federal law could send someone to prison for five years and mean they can never carry a gun again, Butler said.
Butler argues that there's no reason to prohibit carrying guns into places that sell alcohol. That's allowed in nearly 40 states, Butler said. "Why do we think we're morally and genetically inferior to the rest of the United States that acts responsibly?" Butler asked