Category: Individual Liberties

UPDATE 10/5/18: The Senate’s version of the tax conformity bill passed both houses this week and was signed by the Governor.   Lawmakers left one major question unanswered when they…

Each year, the state spends millions on duplicative administrative positions that could be used in the classroom. Instead of overhauling South Carolina’s antiquated school district model, lawmakers have historically taken…

Lawmakers often wait until the closing weeks of session to drop their most controversial bills. This year was no exception, with H.5218 and H.5219 aiming to censor gun violence in…

REMOVING CITIZENS’ POWER TO HOLD THEIR NEIGHBORS ACCOUNTABLE? UPDATE: The final version of the bill placed parameters on the bill’s scope, but the core of the proposal – the violation of…

H.3700 is a full constitutional carry bill. Anyone over 21 who is legally allowed to own a handgun in the state could carry that handgun in public, either openly or…

S.158 and S.159 create additional roadblocks to obtaining a firearm. When a firearms dealer performs a federal background check on a buyer or transferee through the National Instant Criminal Background…

S.155 would protect the right of individuals to record or photograph law enforcement officers while performing their law enforcement duties, provided the officer is in a public place, public view,…

H.3407 permits constables, reserve police officers, volunteer firefighters, and members of the state guard to enter state parks free of charge. This creates a special class of citizens by bestowing…

S.310 would permit the town of Camden to annex a specific commercial property by ordinance after finding “that the commercial property, including its improvements, constitutes a danger to the safety…

S.88 would make property owners who prohibit concealed carry on their premises liable for any injury that CWP holders may suffer during the commission of a crime on those premises.…

H.3262 would make it legal for concealed weapons permit holders to carry on college campuses. It is difficult to regulate open campuses where cities and colleges mix, and the borders of…

H.3248 would make it legal for concealed weapons permit holders to carry on college campuses. It is difficult to regulate open campuses where cities and colleges mix, and the borders of…

H.3241 would make smoking tobacco products in a car with a child younger than five years old illegal. While the health of children is important, the government cannot dictate how citizens…

H.3240 is a reciprocity bill that would require South Carolina to recognize CWPs from all other states. Visitors, under this law, must follow South Carolina’s concealed carry laws while in our…

H.3217 would require any firearm dealer or owner to immediately report the loss or theft of a firearm to a law enforcement agency. How this law would be enforced is unclear.…

Currently, when property is seized through civil asset forfeiture, law enforcement is permitted to keep the property indefinitely. H.3210 would provide that property seized through asset forfeiture must be returned after…

H.3205 would allow judges, magistrates, solicitors, clerks of court, and workers’ compensation commissioners to carry concealed anywhere in the state, whether they are active in their positions or retired. Current law…

H.3181 would require private firearm sales, with the exception of sales or transfers between licensed manufacturers, dealers, or between immediate family members, to undergo a national background check. Confirmation of the…

H.3180 requires that before any sale, exchange, or transfer of a firearm, a national instant background check must be performed. The process cannot continue until the results come back in. As…

H.3174 would allow judges, magistrates, solicitors, clerks of court, and workers’ compensation commissioners to carry concealed anywhere in the state, whether they are active in their positions or retired. Current law…

H.3003 would prevent computers from being sold or distributed in South Carolina without an active filter for obscene content. The filter could be deactivated by the consumer after payment of…

A RELATIVELY UNIMPORTANT BILL ON A HIGHLY IMPORTANT TOPIC [Update: This bill was passed by the General assembly and signed by the governor.] Last week, the Senate put H.3799 on the…

THE PRINCIPLE ANIMATING THE DILAPIDATED BUILDINGS ACT WAS A SOFT GOVERNMENT-KNOWS-BEST AUTHORITARIANISM On Tuesday, the House killed legislation commonly known as the Dilapidated Buildings Act by a vote of 35 to…

● Concealed carry bills pass House, await Senate approval ● Plenty of assertion, no evidence from gun rights opponents ● Gun restriction bills going nowhere We’re about halfway through the…

H.4664 would allow a concealed weapons permit (CWP) holder who is injured by a criminal on the premises of a property whose owner prohibits the carrying of firearms, to hold…

H.4628  and H.4729  would prohibit the state government or any political subdivision of the state from using public funds to “implement, regulate, or enforce a federal law, executive order, regulation, or…

H.4637 is an attempt to restrict the powers granted by South Carolina’s eminent domain law. It would require an entity exercising eminent domain to prove by convincing evidence that: the…

S.952 would prohibit individuals from emitting a noise beyond the bounds of their property that “unreasonably interferes with the enjoyment of life or with any lawful business or activity”. Just…

H.4466 would make it illegal, with limited exceptions, for a business to consider an applicant’s credit history or credit report when hiring. An applicant’s’ credit history could convey important information…

S.949 would make it illegal to engage in deer hunting within 300 yards of a residence without permission of the owner and occupant. Current law prohibits deer hunting within 300…