The South Carolina House voted today to allow lawful firearm owners to carry handguns openly or concealed without a state permit.
Horry County residents overwhelmingly approved as the growth of the county currently leaves residents waiting as long as 38 minutes before a police officer can arrive at their home. Our 24% annual growth rate does not allow enough time for police officers to arrive in emergency events on many occasions. The necessary road infrastructure is not in place allowing for a timely arrival by law enforcement. Also, Horry County has been unable to hire enough officers to keep pace with our local, ongoing population explosion.
The 90-30 vote brings the bill to the S.C. Senate, where it is likely to be killed by Horry County Senator Luke Rankin, Head of S.C. Judiciary. The Senate rejected a similar proposal two years ago.
Regardless, the bill is one step closer in allowing SC to join 25 other states with “constitutional carry” laws.
“This will open up options for families to protect themselves without a permit,” said Republican Rep. Bobby Cox, the bill’s leading sponsor. “South Carolinians can still get the training they need. But they don’t need a permission slip to exercise that right.”
RESIDENTS WANT THE RIGHT TO SELF PROTECT
CONCEALED CARRY GONE RIGHT: Hero woman saves the lives of other women and children as she pulls gun out of purse and shoots armed mugger pic.twitter.com/odJ9wzTFxv
— ✨⃤djcalligraphy (@DJcalligraphy) May 28, 2021
Cox left in a provision titled section 16, which is a copy-paste of federal ATF-style language. He did so to ensure the bill’s success.
Several members asked to have that provision removed
After several members, including Stewart Jones of Laurens and Representative Stephen Long, among others, asked to have provision 16 removed, S.C. Key House members led by political consultant Walter Whetsell, worked together to send out the below.
Said one person highly connected to the S.C. House, “Damn republican caucus is sending [this] out. I’ve heard Whetsell’s name more than a few times tonight.”
THIS SENT OUT AFTER WHETSELL DRAFTS THE INFAMOUS S.C. LOYALTY OATH
Political Consultant Walter Whetsell worked with leadership to draft the now infamous S.C. loyalty oath. In short, the oath demands that no S.C. Republican speak ill of any other S.C. Republican publicly. As the Chief Political consultant to the S.C. House, those rules clearly do not apply to Whetsell, however.
The entire Freedom Caucus was kicked out for refusing to sign Whetsell’s loyalty oath. Why hasn’t the S.C. House Republican leadership fired this man? How does he continue to operate with a “do as I say, not as I do” moral code?