Gov. McMaster backs tougher SC laws on illegal gun possession after 2 mass shootings
After a pair of mass shootings rocked South Carolina during the Easter holiday weekend, Gov. Henry McMaster has urged state lawmakers to send him a bill that would impose tougher penalties on people who illegally carry guns.
“Law enforcement needs help keeping illegal, stolen guns out of the hands of juveniles and criminals,” McMaster said in a statement posted to Twitter Tuesday afternoon. “I stand with Sen. Harpootlian and members of the Senate who are proposing no bond and mandatory minimum sentences in circuit court for illegal gun possession.”
The statement is a rare moment of bipartisan agreement on an issue where Democrats and Republicans are often at odds. McMaster is a Republican. State Sen. Dick Harpootlian is a Richland County Democrat.
“Send me these reforms and I will sign them into law,” the governor promised.
McMaster’s pledge came more than a week after a violent Easter holiday weekend in South Carolina, where a pair of mass shootings took place at a crowded shopping mall and inside a Hampton County nightclub.
The Columbia Police Department said nine people were shot and six others were hurt in the panic at the popular Columbiana Centre mall on April 16. Less than 24 hours later, nine people were injured in a mass shooting in the early hours of April 17 at Cara’s Lounge in Hampton County, according to the State Law Enforcement Division.
Under South Carolina law, it is illegal to carry a firearm in public without a concealed weapons permit, or CWP. Businesses can also prohibit firearms on their property, even if the firearm is carried legally by a person with a concealed weapons permit.
According to the Columbiana Centre mall’s code of conduct, no firearms or illegal weapons are allowed.
Three suspects who have been arrested in connection with the mall shooting all face charges of unlawful carrying of a handgun because, according to police, they allegedly brought guns into an area where they are prohibited.
In response to the Columbia mall shooting, Harpootlian has proposed a change to an existing House bill on policing — H. 3050 — that would toughen penalties for someone who illegally possesses a gun for the first and subsequent offenses. Harpootlian said the change has bipartisan support.
At a press conference last week, McMaster first gave support for strengthening punishments for illegal gun possession.
“One thing that’s been suggested is having the illegal possession of a firearm be a felony as opposed to a misdemeanor. I think that’s a good idea,” McMaster said at the time.
SLED Chief Mark Keel did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
“I just read (a) report that the highest cause of death under the age of 21 and under is gun shot wounds, not car wrecks, not drugs. It’s (an) epidemic,” Harpootlian told reporters Tuesday. “This isn’t the solution. So that everybody understands, right now we need to do something about the revolving door on kids with guns.”
Since the pair of mass shootings, there have been other reports of gun violence in the state.
As recently as Monday night, a shooting at a Dixie Youth league baseball game in North Charleston sent children running for cover at Pepperhill Park. According to the Charleston County Coroner’s Office, two male teenagers — a 16-year-old and 19-year-old — were killed in a separate shooting incident over the weekend.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called the bystander video of the shooting “unbelievable in so many ways, but clearly real and very troubling.”
“This is something you would expect in Afghanistan, not North Charleston,” Graham wrote on Twitter.
Senior editor Maayan Schechter and reporter John Monk contributed to this report.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this report misidentified the gun incident that resulted in the deaths of two teenagers. The story has been corrected to reflect the deaths were not related to the shooting incident outside a North Charleston baseball field.
This story was originally published April 26, 2022 at 2:19 PM with the headline "Gov. McMaster backs tougher SC laws on illegal gun possession after 2 mass shootings."
