COLUMBIA, S.C. — House Republicans have delayed efforts to pass a 'Constitutional Carry' bill in South Carolina, announcing their rejection of the Senate's version of the legislation.
The decision, made amid mounting pressure from conservative gun rights groups, sets the stage for a potentially lengthy showdown between House and Senate Republicans over the bill.
House Majority Leader Davey Hiott confirmed the rejection, stating that the House will vote next week to reject the Senate's amendments rather than sending the bill to Governor Henry McMaster's desk for approval.
The bill, which would allow legal gun owners over the age of 18 to carry firearms in public without a permit, has been a point of contention between the two chambers.
The bill also includes increased penalties for those who illegally possess weapons.
The House passed its version in 2023. The Senate passed its amended version of the bill last week, introducing additional provisions such as penalties for unregistered firearm owners and free weapons training.
However, House Republicans argue that these amendments dilute the bill's original intent and undermine Second Amendment rights.
"It's not constitutional carry, it's con carry. It's a compromised version of constitutional carry and one that for anybody who ran on protecting gun rights should easily be able to reject," said Rep. RJ May (R-Lexington).
"If this dies, it could be another year to four years before we see this opportunity again," Cox said. "And South Carolina would be far behind."
Governor McMaster criticized the House GOP's decision as further delaying measures aimed at addressing felon-in-possession penalties.
"For over two years, law enforcement and victims of crime have been begging this General Assembly to pass a bill with stricter increased penalties for illegal gun use and possession," McMaster wrote on social media. "The public is losing confidence. So am I."
The rejection by House Republicans has also drawn warnings from Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, who cautioned that the Senate would not approve the bill without the proposed amendments.
"They've seen we had a long, hard battle over this. It took us a while to get us where we are. That amendment, that provision was essential to getting enough votes out of the Senate to pass. The bill would not have passed today in the Senate without that," said Massey.
If it heads to a conference committee, three Senators and Three House members will be tasked with working out a compromise.
"I'm excited to work with the Senate to find a solution here," said Cox.
So far, 26 other states have passed similar laws.