South Carolina lawmakers are inching closer to passing a bill that would allow anyone who legally owns a gun to carry it, even without a permit to do so.
The South Carolina House voted 86-33, mostly along party lines, to advance the bill. The Senate and House had previously passed permitless carry bills, but each chamber’s version was different. They came to an agreement on Tuesday.
“The dialogue we’ve been having with the Senate, the House, and the governor’s office is that they want this to immediately become law,” Republican Rep. Bobby Cox, the bill’s sponsor, said.
Under the agreed bill, guns would still be banned in places such as schools, courthouses, and the state Capitol building. It also increases penalties for people who carry guns illegally, such as felons.
In the negotiations, the bill adopted most of the Senate’s changes. These included free
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