Constitutional carry bill advances in South Carolina House

By Andrew Shepperson

Lawmakers in the South Carolina House of Representatives have approved a bill that would repeal the permit requirement to carry a concealed gun in South Carolina.
Sponsored by Republican Rep. Mike Pitts, bill H. 3930 was approved on a 3-0 vote in the House Judiciary subcommittee Thursday, the Charleston Post and Courier reports.
Similar legislation was proposed and ultimately failed last year, but this year’s version of the bill includes the option for lawful gun owners to carry openly in public. The bill will also keep the current permit system intact so people can still choose to obtain one.
“It just simply says if I can legally own and I can legally carry, then I don’t have to have a permit to do it in the state,” Pitts said of the current legislation.
The Thursday subcommittee meeting lasted all but five minutes, and the two democrats on the panel were not even in attendance for the vote.
Opponents, such as Sylvie Dessau with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, complained the measure was advanced so swiftly that dissenting opinions could not be heard at the meeting.
“As a South Carolinian, I am dismayed that some House Judiciary subcommittee members took it upon themselves to advance

Source: Guns.com