“SECTION 23-31-510. […]  No governing body of any county, municipality, or other political subdivision in the State may enact or promulgate any regulation or ordinance that regulates or attempts to regulate the transfer, ownership, possession, carrying, or transportation of firearms, ammunition, components of firearms, or any combination of these things.” – South Carolina Code of Laws

In the past, City and County governments have not hesitated to place signs banning the carrying of concealed weapons at locations of their choosing.

But in case you have not noticed, those signs are coming down!  

A court case in Charleston may be what instigated the disappearance of anti-CCP signs.

A Concealed Carry Permit (CCP) holder filed suit in October of 2022 against the Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission, which, according to the lawsuit, operates over 11,000 acres of parks and recreational facilities in Charleston County.

The lawsuit cited South Carolina state law’s Section 23-31-510 (excerpted above), and the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution, with its well-known clause, “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed”.  Based on that, the lawsuit contended that the posting of such signs by a government body in the state of South Carolina is illegal.

Not the First Time

This was not the first such incident caused by the Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission.  

In August of 2021, the town of Mt. Pleasant requested that the Commission refrain from posting the anti-CCP signs, citing 23-31-510.  The Commission refused, and posted the signs.

In September of 2021, the Commission ignored “cease and desist” letters regarding its signs.  

Second Opinion

In July of 2022, State Senator Shane Martin requested an official legal opinion from State Attorney General Alan Wilson regarding the anti-CCP signs.  

The AG’s webpage states, “The Attorney General issues legal opinions to many public officials in South Carolina. When one of these officials presents a legal question in a written request, an Attorney General’s opinion attempts to resolve that legal question as the author believes a court would decide the issue.”  

As the State’s top legal official, the AG’s opinion carries significant weight, and on the matter of such signs being displayed by a local authority, the AG makes his interpretation of the law very clear.

“[T]he General Assembly intended that state law expressly occupy the entire field of South Carolina firearm regulation and preempt any local ordinance on the same subject” except for restricting open carry in very limited, specific circumstances.  

The AG also referred to a prior AG opinion from December of 2010, which concluded, “a local governing body, such as a county, may not enact any regulation dealing with the carrying of concealed weapons, such as in a county park”.  

The Charleston Parks and Recreation Commission rejected the legal code in Section 23-31-510.  They rejected the opinion document from the South Carolina State Attorney General.  

Demonstrating that tyrannical attitudes can arise at all levels of government – even down to and including the Charleston Parks and Recreation Commission, and that some people believe they stand above others in knowing what the law ought to be, the incident shows why the U.S. Constitutional system of government is so very necessary.  The Charleston Parks and Recreation Commission stood fast in its opposition to individual rights and freedom, particularly against that guaranteed by the Constitution’s Second Amendment.

In October of 2022, the lawsuit was filed against the Commission.  Would-be tyranny would face the judgement of a Court.

The lawsuit stated that in posting the signs the Commission had effectively criminalized the otherwise lawful carry of firearms on outdoor public property.  

In the end . . .

Finally, in August of 2023 – ten months after the lawsuit was filed – the Charleston Parks and Recreation Commission voted to settle the lawsuit and immediately remove all of the signs.

One Step at a Time

This country long ago put behind it judging somebody because of the color of his skin.  

For several decades now, this country has put behind it judging somebody because of his sexual orientation.

Unfortunately, the prejudice against Concealed Carry Permit holders still has many adherents.  If and when they believe they can enact oppressive laws – when they are convinced that their oppressive attitudes override the freedom of those who choose to carry weapons for the protection of themselves, their families, and their friends, those with an anti-CCP prejudice will choose oppression over freedom.  

CCP holders as a group are uniformly more law-abiding than any other group of people.  It is an odd twist of thinking that some believe CCP holders somehow pose a threat and should be vilified.

There is no rationale to support that belief.  Call it what it is:  prejudice.

Saving Twelve Lives

The inescapable fact remains:  if a would-be killer attempts a mass-shooting, the average number of people killed is a fraction over fourteen; if a CCP holder is present, the average number killed is a fraction less than three.  Is it not worth a dozen lives to welcome the presence of CCP holders?

In the name of individual rights and freedom, it is time for oppressive, anti-CCP prejudice to be consigned to the dust-bins of history.

Holier than Thou

In this case, Graham Horsman, the lawsuit’s Plaintiff, is quoted as saying his purpose in being a CCP holder is to protect his wife and family.  

As the incident that caused the lawsuit shows, governments, whether high or low, whether by inertia or by deliberate intent, tend to develop the attitude that “We know better than you what is good for you.”

State Representative Matt Leber clearly agreed on that issue when, as reported by station WCSC on live5news.com, he stated, “They fashioned themselves lawmakers with the stroke of a pen, denying a constitutional right.”

The Commission believed it knew better than Horsman whether he should be able to protect his family as a CCP holder.  

From such small steps, tyranny is born.  

Freedom

From just such small steps, the American Revolution was born.  Better for the small steps to be stopped now, than to allow them to lead to greater tyranny and drastic measures that cost blood and lives later on.■