DEBATE: Why This Concealed Carrier Supports Permits

Recently, South Carolina began considering permitless concealed carry. That would eliminate the need for a South Carolina gun owner to obtain a concealed carry permit in order to carry that gun inside the state.

South Carolina joins a number of other states that have active bills being considered by their legislative bodies. However, even though a lot of gun owners consider the Second Amendment just enough cause to carry, there are other citizens that support gun rights but see permitless carry as presenting risks of their own.

A South Carolinian concealed carrier wrote into The State to describe his own experience going through the state-mandated course and why he feels it should stay as a requirement. This man claims to have 33 years in the military and found the course to be extremely informative for him and other people in his class.

via The State

My concealed carry class was informative, especially on legal considerations. Much of this information is unknown by the average person. Some in my class had never handled a handgun. One of the instructors took them aside and taught them how to handle and fire their weapon safely. Where will inexperienced, permit-less people get this training?

I live in a permitless concealed carry state. Even before the state went permitless concealed carry for residents, there was no training requirement. It was up to me to pursue my own education — which included several courses relating to handguns and handgun safety.

The big problem with people not taking training is that often times they may be lead to believe by erroneous sources that their potential actions involving a firearm are legally justified when they may not be.

Each state has its own ground rules when it comes to the justifiable use of deadly force. Some states are much less restrictive than others as to when a person may use a gun to defend himself.

States like Massachusetts, for instance, actually have a ‘duty to retreat’. Massachusetts requires their License-to-Carry holders to take state-mandated training prior to receiving their license. It’s pretty likely that the instructor will have had time to engage students in classroom discussion about when it is and is not legally justifiable to use a gun in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

For states like New Hampshire, there’s never been a requirement. If a person acts in a manner that is in violation of the state statutes, he can be held legally liable for his actions. This can include criminal charges, fines, and significant prison time.

Some of us naturally pursue courses to enhance our ability to act if placed into a life-or-death situation. Not everyone will pursue those courses of study. Some people may believe they are more proficient with their firearms than they are. Others may think their legal understanding of their state statutes is ‘good enough’ when, in fact, it may not be.

Tell us in the comments section: how will inexperienced people get their training if the state no longer requires permits?