S.C. House panel approves concealed weapons on campuses
Date: May 16, 2007 3:18 PM
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/575/story/70152.html

Posted on Wed, May. 16, 2007

S.C. House panel approves concealed weapons on campuses

By SEANNA ADCOX – Associated Press Writer

COLUMBIA, S.C. –To prevent school shootings, South Carolina legislators want more guns on campuses.

Staff and older students would be allowed to carry concealed weapons to school under a proposal approved Wednesday by a House subcommittee. Legislators said they believe having trained, armed gun owners in schools could prevent massacres like the shootings at Virginia Tech.

If signed in to law, South Carolina would join Utah as the only states that have laws allowing people to carry concealed weapons on campuses. Current law bans weapons on campuses in South Carolina.

Supporters say people who carry concealed weapons could stop shootings in part because they have to undergo training, criminal and mental background checks, and must be at least 21.

“We’re not talking about kids. We’re talking about responsible adults,” said Republican Rep. Jeff Duncan, the bill’s chief sponsor. The measure doesn’t specify who would be allowed to carry concealed weapons, but Duncan said he’s willing to limit permit holders on campuses to school staff.

Opponents said they fear accidental killings and pleaded against the measure, which passed by a 2-1 vote. The bill now heads to the House Judiciary Committee.

“You can’t call a bullet back,” said Democratic Rep. Seth Whipper. “It’s a bad idea.”

College police chiefs across South Carolina said that if the law were passed, it would be difficult for officers to pick out a criminal. “Today, if we respond, we know the person with the weapon is the bad guy,” said Ernest Ellis, the law enforcement director at the University of South Carolina.

Nationwide, 37 states – including Virginia – ban weapons at schools. Of those, 16 explicitly prohibit weapons on college campuses, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

To obtain a concealed weapon permit in South Carolina, a resident must be at least 21, undergo at least eight hours of handgun training, and pass criminal and mental background checks. By law, the permit holder must keep the gun on their body or within arm’s reach.

The Second Amendment IS Homeland Security !