South Carolina House approves the open carrying of firearms with restrictions

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolinians could soon openly carry a handgun with a permit under a proposal passed Wednesday by the state House. The House passed the legislation in a 82-33 vote, after attaching new requirements that outline where a trained gun owner could carry in the Palmetto State and blocking an attempt to expand the proposal even further by removing the permit requirement entirely. The proposal, whose chief sponsor is GOP state Rep. Bobby Cox of Greenville, calls for allowing trained gun owners who hold a permit to carry their firearms out in the open but only in public and in businesses where allowed. That means, for example, a legal gun owner could not carry on State House grounds or inside a school where guns are forbidden. They also could not carry inside businesses that have clear gun restrictions outlined in a sign on the premises.