Today's Opinions

Traveling down life’s highways we run into plenty of obstacles. The smart fella will always figure out a short cut for himself.

To tell the truth, ever since 1966, I have made the route to and from North Elementary School. First a daughter, then a son, a granddaughter, a grandson and Bless Pete, I have the task of escorting a great-grandson to those hallowed halls of learning.

The trouble is, the kids got smarter and grandpa got lost in the shuffle.

You never forget your roots, especially, as in my case, when you were fortunate to be blessed with a good experience in those formative years.

I spent a good portion of my youth on Sherwood Circle where we lived in the area known as Forest Hills.

A friend once teased me saying we lived in the neighborhood of “rich kids.”

True, they were professional people, and many, as I reflect, were at one point or another the “movers and shakers” in Lancaster who had a major hand in helping Lancaster prosper through the years.

Despite its gun-friendly citizenry and reputation, South Carolina law doesn’t go out of its way to protect Second Amendment rights. Ours is one of only six states that impose an outright ban on all forms of handgun “open carry,” for example, and one of only three states that prohibit concealed weapons permit (CWP) holders from carrying weapons into restaurants that sell alcohol.

Unfortunately, state law isn’t the only thing South Carolina gun owners need to be concerned about. Another is federal coercion.