Columbia, S.C. - The South Carolina House is currently considering a constitutional carry bill that would allow law-abiding citizens to carry guns without a permit. This bill is a step in the right direction for protecting citizens' natural and God-given right to self-defense. A few Summerville area State Representatives have cosponsored H. 3594 including Jordan Pace, Robby Robbins, and Gary Brewer. Supporters of the bill cite natural or God-given rights that current gun laws are infringing on by having to ask permission from government to exercise their rights to self defense. Natural law is a philosophical theory that posits certain inherent rights that are derived from nature and are therefore universally applicable. Proponents of natural law argue that self-defense is a fundamental human right, and that owning firearms is an essential aspect of exercising this right. They contend that individuals have the inherent right to protect themselves and their families, and that the right to bear arms is necessary to fulfill this duty. Moreover, they argue that the right to bear arms is a natural and inalienable right, not granted by government but rather inherent in every individual. These ideas have formed the basis for many arguments in favor of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which protects the right to bear arms.
Defensive gun use statistics show that law-abiding citizens use guns to protect themselves and their families over a million times each year. Allowing citizens to carry guns without a permit ensures that they are better equipped to defend themselves and their loved ones from criminals and other threats.
The estimated number of defensive gun uses in the United States varies depending on the study, but some have placed the number at around one million per year. One widely cited study conducted by criminologists Gary Kleck and Marc Gertz in 1995 found that there are approximately 2.2 to 2.5 million defensive gun uses per year in the United States. This figure has been debated, with some researchers disputing the methodology and findings of the Kleck and Gertz study.
However, other studies have also found that there are a significant number of defensive gun uses each year. For example, a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2013 found that "self-defense can be an important crime deterrent" and that "almost all national survey estimates indicate that defensive gun uses by victims are at least as common as offensive uses by criminals, with estimates of annual uses ranging from about 500,000 to more than 3 million per year." Ironically the CDC as recently as December removed their statistics that were often cited on defensive gun uses after pressure from activists unhappy about the inconvenient truth the data presented about law abiding citizens using firearms to protect themselves.
Opponents of the bill argue that it makes it easier for criminals to carry weapons in public, but this is not the case. The bill only applies to law-abiding citizens who have not been convicted of a felony.
Additionally, the bill would eliminate the requirement for people who are carrying guns legally to inform police of that at a traffic stop. This ensures that law-abiding citizens are not unnecessarily targeted by law enforcement.
In short, the constitutional carry bill is a common-sense measure that protects citizens' natural and God-given right to self-defense. It is time for South Carolina to join the growing number of states that have already passed this important legislation.
Here is the text of the bill for reference: https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess125_2023-2024/bills/3594.htm
Sources:
Kleck, G., & Gertz, M. (1995). "Armed resistance to crime: The prevalence and nature of self-defense with a gun." Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 86(1), 150-187.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). "Priorities for Research to Reduce the Threat of Firearm-Related Violence." Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/injury/pdfs/Firearm-Related-Violence-Task-Force-Executive-Summary-a.pdf
Federal Bureau of Investigation. (n.d.). "Crime in the United States." Retrieved from https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s
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