Happy Tuesday.
So of course right after I take my CWP class, the SC legislature is considering the repeal of the CWP law and allowing concealed carry without a permit and/or open carry.
If you know me, you know that I'm about as pro-gun as it gets. However, I'm not sure that I am in favor of repealing the CWP law and going to to Constitutional Carry. The main element of the current CWP law is the training requirement.
The way that I see it, the training requirement is kind of a gatekeeper for people. If you feel strongly about carrying, you'll take the class and get your permit. However, if you just wake up one day and causally want to carry and don't really know much about guns, the CWP training requirement stops you.
In essence, it separates the people who really want to carry from the people who want to do it on a whim. Now, that may or may not be a legal basis to do so, but I like the idea that you have to commit at least eight hours of your life before you walk around with lethal force on your hip.
Ya know Bryan, it's a funny thing. Vermont does not require a permit at all (never has), Georgia and Indiana only require you to fill out an application and several states out west have both open carry and permit-less carry. About ten or 12 years back, Grass Roots SC member Rob Butler and I searched exhaustively for problems in those places with CWP holders and found no significant uptick in criminal issues as regards CWP holders in places without training requirements. You are kind of new to the gun toting world and you are about to discover that packing heat is somewhat burdensome. Just the mechanics of carrying 2 pounds of gun and ammo in your daily wear becomes an issue. Takes someone dedicated to their (and loved ones) personal safety to think things through as to holster, cover garment and other safety equipment. So folks who are not in places where a class is required, soon tire and go back to hoping their crystal ball is working. The SC CWP process is a gate and that has consequences. The waitress at Waffle House or the clerk at Kangaroo who probably needs a handgun more that an old white guy (me!) has to pay their (disproportionate) time and money to get that permit.
ReplyDeleteThere is no easy answer and I think that Jake Knotts actually had a pretty good answer when he was teaching free CWP classes. Unfortunately, that's uneconomical for most instructors.
I don't think it's going to become the "Wild West" if the CWP law is repealed. Actually, I doubt it would make much of a difference, as you say, most people who were "casual" carrying would get tired of it quickly. I guess I was just saying that I like the current CWP idea of requiring some training.
DeleteWhat's that old Jeff Cooper quote? "Carrying a handgun doesn't make you armed any more than owning a guitar makes you a musician."
That's kind of what I was getting at. Continually training is key.
Oh, and I'm a huge proponent of training. I've paid for over 100 hours from various instructors and feel that it's paid off well. I'm just not sure what the balance is for Joe and Jane Sixpack who live in a bad part of town.
ReplyDelete"That's kind of what I was getting at. Continually training is key."
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree. Rob Pincus is going to have a class in Augusta soon. If the stars align correctly, I'm going.