Action Alert oppose Open Carry with Training Act H.3094

Action Alert oppose Open Carry with Training Act H.3094

Action Alert
Time Range For Action Alert: 
February 8, 2021 to March 15, 2021

Your action is requested regarding two bills moving quickly through the Statehouse!

1. Please call or email your S.C. representative immediately to express your opposition to H. 3094, the “Open Carry with Training Act.”

This bill is opposed by the League of Women Voters of South Carolina, and by many others including prominent leaders of the law enforcement community in South Carolina. The bill would permit holders of a concealed weapons permit to carry a concealable (less than 12” length) weapon openly on his or her person or in a vehicle. 

Please contact your SC representative promptly.  See More Information below.

Your SC Representative and phone number:
Garry R Smith
Legislative office phone: 803-734-3141; office: 534 Blatt Bldg., Columbia 29201
GarrySmith [at] schouse.gov

Calling is much preferred!  A friendly office assistant will answer. Identify yourself as a constituent of the representative and provide your personal perspective on the bill.

Do not use email unless you put CONSTITUENT in the subject line.  Many legislators do not open their emails.  It is more effective to call. 

MORE INFORMATION about Open Carry

H.3094, the “Open Carry with Training Act,” is scheduled for a hearing in the General Laws Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, February 10, at 1:00 pm or 30 minutes after adjournment of the House, whichever is later. The hearing will be broadcast (link from the House meeting schedule on the home page of www.scstatehouse.gov). The physical meeting will be held in Room 110 of the Blatt Building. The bill, sponsored by a gun manufacturer employee, has strong backing from legislative leadership. 

If you wish to provide testimony virtually, please email HJudGenLaws [at] schouse.gov by 5:00 pm Tuesday, February 9, 2021. Additionally, written comments may be emailed to HJudGenLaws [at] schouse.gov. 

The full text of H.3094 can be found here.

2.  If you have not yet done so, please call or email your S.C. representative immediately to express your opposition to S. 1, the “Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act.”

S.1 has passed the Senate and the Constitutional Laws Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee. It will be heard in full Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, Feb 9, at 2:30 PM or one and a half hours after adjournment of the House, whichever is later, in Room 516 of the Blatt Building. Since this is a full committee meeting no testimony will be taken from the public, but those who are interested can follow at: https://www.scstatehouse.gov/video/schedule.php. 

The League of Women Voters of South Carolina strongly opposes this bill, which would effectively prohibit abortions in South Carolina should Roe v. Wade be overturned at the federal level. 

Talking Points

S.1 is contrary to the LWVUS position on abortion: “The League of Women Voters believes public policy in a pluralistic society must affirm the constitutional right of privacy of the individual to make reproductive choices.” 

S.1 is also contrary to the wishes of the people of South Carolina. A 2019 Winthrop Poll showed that 73% of South Carolinians support substantially greater rights to terminate pregnancies than this bill provides. In addition, many religious groups, even those that regard abortion as a very serious moral choice, do not support the draconian legal restraints provided in this bill.

The bill would do the following:

  • Prohibit all abortions after detection of a “fetal heartbeat.” (The word "heartbeat" is actually misleading. At the stage described in the bill, usually around six weeks, there is no human heart, and therefore no human heartbeat.)
  • Provide exceptions only for “medical emergencies.” (In previous attempts to pass similar bills, medical experts have testified that by the time a medical emergency is well documented it would often be difficult or impossible to avoid serious harm or death to the pregnant woman.)
  • Violate the constitutional rights of pregnant persons as defined in Roe v. Wade. (The bill contains a contingency provision that it would take effect if Roe v. Wade is overturned.)
  • Impose the requirements of a specific religious point of view on the public, despite disclaimers from supporters that their position is grounded only in scientific information. 
  • Single out pregnant persons to require that they give up their right to bodily autonomy, something that medical ethicists argue is not required of others who could save lives with blood donation or organ donation. (For a discussion of this issue, see https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5088084/) 

Full text of bill S.1 may be found here.