MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – A state lawmaker from the Grand Strand is trying to make it more difficult for violent criminals in South Carolina to have access to guns.
The bill from Sen. Greg Hembree, a Republican from North Myrtle Beach, would ban felons from having guns and punish anyone illegally having a gun. Sen. Hembree says his bill helps law enforcement by matching South Carolina’s gun laws with federal laws.
Sen. Hembree says he wants to protect gun ownership rights… But also wants to prevent felons from owning guns.
“I find that controlling the people that tend to commit violence is a lot more effective at preventing violence,” Sen. Hembree said.
Sen. Hembree wrote the bill to stop a gun owner from selling a gun to someone who isn’t legally allowed to have one. The bill would also require police to take a gun used in a crime.
Gun control advocate David Higham says the bill is a step in the right direction.
“A lot of firearms are being sold to persons who any reasonable person would suggest should have no right to own a firearm,” said Higham, who leads the gun sense committee for the Horry County Democratic Party.
On Wednesday, the senate judiciary subcommittee removed part of the bill to ban all felons from owning a gun, saying felons convicted of a nonviolent crime should be allowed to protect themselves.
“It shouldn’t be a lifetime sentence forever on something that wasn’t violent or you haven’t shown any proclivity for violence,” said Sen. Brad Hutto, a Democrat from Orangeburg.
Sen. Hembree says violent criminals who unlawfully have a gun should face tougher penalties.
“If you’re prohibited from having a gun because you’re a convicted drug trafficker, and you get caught with a gun once, first time, there’s one penalty,” Sen. Hembree said. “Second time, that penalty’s greater. Third time, that penalty’s greater.”
One of the goals of Sen. Hembree’s bill is to create a tiered system for punishing anyone who has a gun illegally.
“You’re prosecuted the first time, that’s a misdemeanor that carries up to one year,” he said. “Second time you’re caught with it, it’s a misdemeanor that carries up to three years in jail. Third time you’re caught, a felony that carries up to ten years in jail.”
The senate judiciary subcommittee is now working on an amendment, after removing the part of the bill banning all felons from owning a gun.
