Concealed guns in South Carolina

I am a retired police officer and also teach the weapons classes. The main thing I see from those 25 years of experience there are people who would shoot the wrong person most of the time...and places where alcohol consumption is allowed on property is a definite no no..I have been in many bars where shootings have occcurred..anyone drinking can't make a rational decsion to fire or not to fire and who will they hit?
and there is the problem with hot tempers doing things they would regret an hour later or even a few minutes later after thinking about it..where will it end. I don't teach everyone the class who wants it because my name is on their Permit, I hope I wont be a part of a bad shooting. We should all have a right to have them but not carry them everywhere we go.

I definitely believe in our Constitutional right to bear arms, but that does not mean any Tom, Dick or Harry over the age of 21 should be able to carry a concealed weapon. There needs to be a background check, waiting period, training, etc. Otherwise a lot of people who have no business carrying a gun will be shooting a lot of innocent people.

I definitely believe in our Constitutional right to bear arms, but that does not mean any Tom, Dick or Harry over the age of 21 should be able to carry a concealed weapon. There needs to be a background check, waiting period, training, etc. Otherwise a lot of people who have no business carrying a gun will be shooting a lot of innocent people.

Not without a detailed background check and the appoval by SLED for a duly authorized CWP permit issued to carry a concealed weapon. The background check should be national and include a mental capacity check as well.
Anyone in a database who has committed crimes in other states or has mental deficiencies should NOT be allowed to either own or carry a concealed firearm.

We should have the right to carry a weapon. However, this is no longer the wild wild West, even though we have some scum who act like it is. Therefore I think all who have a weapon should have to obtain a permiy

i agree 100%.if someone has never been in trouble with the law should be able to carry a gun.it has gotten so bad that people will break into your home and steal your property get a slap on the wrist by a judge and put them back on the streets to do it again.there are drug heads,dealers,murders,rapist,child molesters all walking the streets thinking ive got away with it before ill get away with it again.thats why i say someone who has not been in trouble should be able to carry a gun.

SC concealed weapon permits do not reciprocate with Georgia , because Georgia does not require any training or classes to get the permit to see if they are qualified to carry a handgun . It only makes sense to keep the law as is to insure a person is qualified to carry . We do not need thousands of people walking around with guns with no training and anyone serious about carrying a handgun should not mind going through the proper channels.If you want to carry concealed in Georgia get a Flordia non-resident CWP .

Personally, I have no major issues with the idea. Think about it, the criminals who will rob, rape, or murder any one of us don't bother to have a permit for the gun, the knife, or the blunt instrument, they will use against us.

That said, I would MUCH RATHER see the Legislature remove the ludicrous and harmful restrictions on where the holder of a CWP may legally carry; to include medical clinics, government buildings, nice restaurants that serve alcohol, churches, and anywhere that displays one of those silly "Rob Me" (No Concealable Weapons Allowed) signs. These restrictions serve absolutely no purpose, other than to create safe zones for criminals to ply their trade in. While I am a dedicated believer and supporter of the 2nd Amendment, and realize that the CWP requirement is in a way, an infringement on our right to keep and bear arms, I also know the way government and people today think.
When a citizen has undergone the background check and training to obtain a CWP, there is no reason they should not be able to carry into a police station or anywhere else, save for maybe a jail (where even cops cannot carry) or maybe a bar while consuming alcohol. Given today's political climate, I believe the permit process gives the holder an extra aspect of credibility (due to the background check and training) they might not otherwise have. I can live with the permit requirement but the restrictions need to go away!!!!

As usual, you have the anti-gunners who are screaming the tired old phrases that we will become , "The Wild West", and "blood will flow in the streets". They say that every time a state creates a, "Shall Issue", permit law or loosens the restrictions on where a permit holder may carry. It NEVER COMES TO THAT, though.

Perhaps as a step toward gaining enough acceptance to get this permit-optional law to see the light of day, we could remove the restrictions on where a permit holder may carry and keep them for anyone who does not have a permit. Once we can show, and we will, that absence of a permit does not create any problems, we could remove the restrictions altogether.

It is usually fashionable for some Law Enforcement groups to oppose these measures so I will add that FWIW, I am a retired LEO. I have both a SC CWP as well as one for another state, and HR-218 (Nationwide Carry for retired LEO's) credentials. I have always opposed any organization which advocates restricting citizens' rights to have weapons for self-defense because I had family and friends who were civilians, too. A civilian's hide is just as important to him or her as an LEO's is to them.