What to know about South Carolina's permitless carry gun bill and how to watch the debate
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A joint legislative committee meeting for South Carolina's "constitutional carry" bill will be livestreamed this morning on the state legislature's website.
If passed into law, the bill will allow eligible residents of the state to carry firearms, whether openly or concealed, without requiring registration for a state permit or receiving any training.
The version of House Bill 3594 passed by the South Carolina Senate one month ago received pushback from more hard-line "gun rights" supporters who disagreed with certain additions to the bill.
Previously: Led by Upstate lawmakers, South Carolina a step closer to permitless carry with Senate vote
What did the South Carolina Senate change to the House's bill?
On Feb. 1, the state Senate voted 28-15 to approve the permitless carry bill and returned it to the state House of Representatives with amendments to the original legislation.
Senators added graduated penalties for unregistered firearm carriers who violate weapons laws, a requirement for citizens to report stolen guns to law enforcement, and an initiative to implement free Concealed Weapon Permit (CWP) training by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to encourage gun owners to carry responsibly.
In turn, the House changed the Senate's amendments and returned it to the Senate about two weeks later, which the Senate rejected. Both chambers then appointed three members each to the joint legislative conference committee to negotiate.
When and where will the joint committee be streamed?
The committee will meet at 10 a.m., and be livestreamed on the state legislature's website.
The members of the committee include:
More: Open gun carry proposal in SC on the ropes as conservatives fight among themselves
Senate: Shane Martin (R-Spartanburg), Brad Hutto (D-Orangeburg), Shane Massey (R-Edgefield)
House: Bobby Cox (R-Greenville), Micah Caskey (R-Lexington), Justin Bamberg (D-Bamberg)
If signed into law, South Carolina would join 27 other states that have similar permitless carry laws.
What is the current open carry law in South Carolina?
South Carolina law allows concealed weapon owners to openly carry a handgun if they are at least 21 years old, obtain a permit after taking eight hours of training, and pass a background check.
The bill loosens restrictions on firearm possession after the passage of the state’s “Open Carry” law in 2021.
Proponents of the bill have argued that the Second Amendment negates the need for permit requirements.
Chalmers Rogland covers public safety for the Spartanburg Herald-Journal and USA Today Network. Reach him via email at crogland@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: How to watch the debate on South Carolina's permitless carry bill
