(DailyVantage.com) – South Carolina has become the 29th U.S. state to allow Americans to carry their firearms in public legally without the need to secure a permit.
The move marks the second time in the span of a few weeks that a state government has given its citizens the right, with Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signing similar legislation into law fairly recently.
The measure, which was also backed by the National Rifle Association (NRA), allows citizens 18 or older to carry a firearm in public – as long as they pass basic gun regulatory requirements – without the need to secure an additional permit. Carrying a firearm is still prohibited in specific areas, such as schools and courthouses, along with polling places during election days. The new law also imposes much harsher penalties on the ownership of illegal firearms and illegal use of firearms, as well as criminals who are found to be in possession of firearms.
The measure passed easily in both state Houses, with legislators in the state Senate and the state House voting 28-18 and 86-33, respectively, in favor of the bill.
Other states, such as Hawaii, Connecticut, Maryland, and Georgia, require a separate – and generally more challenging to get – permit to carry a weapon in public. Others, like California, prohibit open-carry entirely.
State Representative Bobby Cox, a Republican, called the passage of the bill “a long and hard-fought victory for South Carolina.” Cox added that he is thankful that the governor, fellow Republican lawmakers, and co-members of the NRA supported South Carolinians’ “God-given right to self-defense.” He added that no one should need permission from the government to “defend themselves, their families, and their communities.”
The NRA also lauded the constitutional carry law, with Andrew Arulanandam, the NRA’s interim Executive Vice President and CEO, boasting that the organization has seen 13 U.S. states adopt similar laws since President Joe Biden assumed office.
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