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Senate Bill 308 sent to Governor!

January 23, 2014

Today, something really, really bizarre happened: according to the IRA-NLA the South Carolina legislature passed a pro-CWP bill.

I’m shocked. The last improvement in the state’s CWP law was in 2009! We’ve been trying to get restaurant carry passed for years, only to be snubbed by supposedly pro-gun politicians and interfered with by committed anti-gun politicians every time. And now it has passed this early in the legislative season? I’m shocked.

I can’t find the text on the NRA site, so here is the full email I just received:

Today, the South Carolina House of Representatives concurred with Senate amendments to Senate Bill 308 by a 90-18 vote.  This important pro-gun legislation makes a number of improvements to the South Carolina Concealed Weapons Permit (CWP), including removing the prohibition on CWP holders carrying a concealed handgun into an establishment licensed to serve alcohol, extending the duration or length of term of the CWP, improving training standards, improving the application and renewal process, and expanding where a CWP holder may transport a firearm in his or her motor vehicle.  S 308 is now awaiting approval by Governor Nikki Haley.

Your NRA-ILA is working to ensure these and other pro-gun reforms remain a priority for the South Carolina General Assembly this year, and we will continue to keep you updated as this legislative session progresses.

Read the whole bill for all the details. The big item is that it gets rid of the automatic ban on legal carry anywhere you can buy alcohol in a glass. There is no Cinderella clause and no need to stay out of the bar section of restaurants! You just can’t consume alcohol, and I’m totally fine with that. It will be nice to finally be able to enjoy some green tea at my favorite Chinese restaurant without having to disarm first.

Restaurants, just like any business, can still post against CWP holders. If that happens at one of your favorite restaurants, I’d recommend having a polite word with the manager: Businesses cannot be held liable for NOT posting, but criminals are encouraged by and attracted to gun-free zones. If that does not work, avoid that establishment like the plague in the future.

I hope the Governor signs this bill soon.

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