Georgia and South Carolina To Share Gun Reciprocity
After years of legal wrangling those of us not living along the Savannah River may have forgotten about, Georgia and South Carolina residents will be able to carry a concealed weapon in their neighboring state.
On June 1, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley signed a bill out of the state’s senate that expressly granted sovereignty between the two states. The bill appears to be a concession by Democratic senators to close a “background check loophole” which they argue allowed Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church murderer Dylann Roof to obtain a firearm despite facing felony charges.
Previously, Rep. Alan Powell of nearby Hartwell offered to “clear the air” with the South Carolina legislature to assist citizens living along the river. His lobbying efforts paid off; the Senate Majority Leader of the state that started the Civil War charitably noted, “Georgia’s not the Wild West.”
South Carolina is the 31st state to agree to reciprocity with Georgia. Georgia residents who want to stride across America with heat can now travel as far east as Rodanthe, North Carolina, as far north as Keweenaw, Michigan, as far west as San Louis, Arizona, (avoiding New Mexico), and as far south as anyone would want to go.
Attorney General Sam Olens’s press release is below the fold:
Atlanta, GA- Today, Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens announced an addition to Georgia’s program of reciprocal recognition to firearms permit holders from other states. Legislation initially passed in 1996 allowed Georgia to grant this privilege to citizens of states which recognized Georgia firearms permits.
The State of South Carolina has determined that it will honor Georgia firearms permits. Therefore, effective immediately, Georgia recognizes firearms permits issued by South Carolina.
With this revision, Georgia now reciprocates in recognizing firearms licenses with the following states:
Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
As always, Georgia firearms permit holders should familiarize themselves with the individual requirements and limitations on firearms permits in any of the reciprocating states where they wish to exercise their rights under this reciprocity program.
About Author
Chet Martin
Add a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Good. The hang up between SC and the other 30 States that recognize Concealed Weapons Permits was the SC stipulation that a government approved training program be passed before a license being issued. Statistics I reviewed with some of our legislators a couple of years ago showed that SC’s safety training program yielded no better or worse accidental shootings than States that do not require a mandatory government approved training program. In addition, the State of SC absorbs the cost of tracking and certifying the State approved trainers. So SC ran a program that yielded the same results as the other 30 States at more cost to the people.
For decades those of us that traveled through SC with a concealed weapon stopped prior to entering SC to unload, and store our weapons per the SC laws. I applaud the change that now allows us to safely transit through the State that has crazy people like the twerp that murdered folks in a Church.
and according to the NRA gun rights are under assault every day.