South Carolina Gun Rights Organizations

First off, let me say that I live in Georgia, but I travel to and through South Carolina all the time. My entire family lives there, my father owns a lot of property there, as well as a beach house that I frequent. I recently started to carry all the time and have been for well over a year. I spend a lot of time there visiting all my family as well.

I've got a few questions for South Carolinians on carry.

First question, what are the names of all the pro-gun organizations in South Carolina? I know there is at least one if not more.

Are there any plans to push through legislation so that Georgia, the GWL (Georgia Weapons License) will have reciprocity with South Carolina? I can carry in every state in the south, but my next door neighbor. It really stinks.

Lastly, I'm a freedom loving individual, and I don't believe in training, and a futher tax on a constutional right. I know there are people that agree with the training, but I simply do not. Is anyone trying to fight the SC mandatory training? Any plans to introduce new legislation and get it pushed through in the next session?

If training is done away with, we might get the reciprocity, anyway. I'm not sure.

And on a smaller note, I hope that one day ya'll will push through some legislation to change you guys to an open carry state. Again, I believe in freedom, and I believe it should be the person's choice how they want to carry. I mainly OC, but I do occasionally conceal carry, too.

I don't care about that is much, but I just want to be able to carry in SC period, when I go there.

I'm willing to help out in anyway that I can. I'm an active member of GeorgiaCarry.Org and we have gotten some very good pro-gun bills passed in the past two legislative sessions.

GrassRoots South Carolina

http://scfirearms.org/

I doubt that there is specific legislation particular to reciprocity/recognition of Georgia

http://www.scfirearms.org/Legislative/LegislationUpdate.html

The folks that benefit economically from mandatory training as a prerequisite to permitted carry are powerful and deeply entrenched. See the NRA assiliate Gun Owners of SC GOSC.

Re South carolina, it needs legislation to legalize open carry - this should be a main focus of SC gun rights groups.

SC also need a lawsuit to force it to allow non-residents to apply for SC concealed handgun permits (CHPs), and, re the non-SC CHPs that SC has decided to accept, to accept all such CHPs regardless of the holder's state of actual or domiciliary residency. Primary causes of action: Art. IV Priviledes and Immunities clause; Fourteenth amendment privileges or immunities clause, see Ward v. Maryland, 12 Wall 418 (1871). Because SC does not allow open carry, it is particularly valunerable to a lawsuit on these grounds, including a Second Amendment cause of action.

The plaintiffs should be selected very carefully (to have the best facts and personal charachteristics to make them sympathetic figures to the media, public, and judicial system), as should the lawyers.

Thank you, Mike and Doug. At GeorgiaPacking.Org, a few of the members have made it very clear how the NRA lobbied to get the mandatory training for SC license holders.

I used to be a NRA supporter, but after the tried to sabatoge two very good gun bills at the last minute because they didn't get their way, I have pulled my support. They cared more about the NRA's image and what they wanted more than they did the rights of Georgia citizens. Then once they passed they took credit for it.

I'm also aware with the NRA's affinity for concealed carry only and making training mandatory, after all, they sell the training. I find such actions despicable.

I only hope that our smaller state's rights issue organization can put the NRA out of the local lobbying business and tell them to stay on the Federal level. I sure hope that you guys can undo all the the NRA has helped to mess up in your state. Its not right for a southern state to have such restrictive gun laws.

I'll look into it, and join or donate if I can. I will gladly try and help out anyway that I can.

As for right now, it looks like Georgia will not be getting reciprocity with SC for a long time. Ohh well, I'll do my part.

As far SC not have reciprocity w/ Georgia, I believe it stems from the fact SC requires reciprocal states to have a minimum standard for obtaining a permit that SC has. So the problem is on SC.
For the training, I for one am glad we require it. The training is very basic. It covers all of SC's CWP laws and multiple choice question test. If the instructor has done his job and the participant has paid attention, the test is easy to pass. There is also a shooting requirement. 36 out of 50 bullets must land inside the lines of a man sized target from various distances from 3 yards to 25 (if memory serves) yards. This only is to prove the applicant can mostly hit what they are pointing at.
In my CWP class, I was surprised that about 1/3 of the applicants were not familiar with SC gun laws to any degree and one or two had never fired a handgun.

Do I understand you to say that the 'problem' is SC's because they require minimum training standards for a CWP and reciprocity but you are glad of the training requirement? Why are you glad of the training requirement with its attendant fees? It is a plain infringement on the Second Amendment that "shall not be infringed

The forbidding of open carry by any state is unconstitutional

Recent developments with DC vs Heller, and with the Chicago, filters the Second Amendment as an individual right down to local goverments. Here in SC you can Keep, but you can not bare arms. That sounds unconstitutional. A simple law suit should fix the issue.

It is weird that way. Welcome to the small political state of SC where nothing can seem to pass without losing something in return. Your state of GA has alot going for it especially with the recent 308 passing. I am a lifelong resident of SC born in Augusta,GA. I live just across the savannah and frequently open carry on your side with my PA FIREARMS LICENSE. Too bad it is not vise versa.