Amend the bill, as and if amended, by striking all after the enacting words and inserting:
/ SECTION 1. Section 23-31-210 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 347 of 2006, is further amended to read:
"Section 23-31-210.
As used in this article:
(1) 'Resident' means an
individual who is present in South Carolina with the intention
of making a permanent home in South Carolina or military
personnel on permanent change of station orders.
(2) 'Qualified
nonresident' means an individual who owns real property in South
Carolina, but who resides in another state.
(3) 'Picture
identification' means:
(a)
a valid South Carolina driver's
license, or if the applicant is a qualified nonresident,
a valid driver's license issued by the state in which
the applicant resides; or
(b)
an official photographic identification card issued by the
Department of Revenue, a federal or state law enforcement
agency, an agency of the United States Department of Defense, or
the United States Department of State.
(4)
'Proof of residence' means a person's current
address on the original or certified copy of:
(a) a valid
South Carolina driver's license;
(b) an
official identification card issued by the Department of
Revenue, a federal or state law enforcement agency, an agency of
the United States Department of Defense, or the United States
Department of State;
(c) a voter
registration card; or
(d)
another document that SLED may
determine that fulfills this requirement.
(5)(4)
'Proof of training' means an original
document or certified copy of the document supplied by an
applicant that certifies that he is either:
(a)
a person who, within three years before filing an
application, has successfully completed a basic or advanced
handgun education course offered by a state, county, or
municipal law enforcement agency or a nationally recognized
organization that promotes gun safety. This education course
must be a minimum of eight hours and must
include, but is not limited to:
(i)
information on the statutory and case law of this State
relating to handguns and to the use of deadly force;
(ii)
information on handgun use and safety;
(iii) information on
the proper storage practice for handguns with an emphasis on
storage practices that reduces the possibility of accidental
injury to a child; and
(iv)
the actual firing of the handgun in the presence of the
instructor;
(b)
a person who demonstrates any of the following must
comply with the provisions of subitem (a)(i) only:
(i)
a person who demonstrates the completition of
basic military training provided by any branch of the United
States military who produces proof of his military service
through the submission of a DD214 form;
(ii)
a retired law enforcement officer who produces
proof that he is a graduate of the Criminal Justice Academy or
that he was a law enforcement officer prior to the requirement
for graduation from the Criminal Justice Academy; or
(iii)
a retired state or federal law
enforcement officer who produces proof of graduation from a
federal or state academy that includes firearms training as a
graduation requirement.
(c)
an instructor certified by the National Rifle
Association or another SLED-approved competent national
organization that promotes the safe use of handguns;
(c)(d) a
person who can demonstrate to the Director of SLED or his
designee that he has a proficiency in both the use of handguns
and state laws pertaining to handguns;
(d)(e) an
active duty police handgun instructor;
(e)(f) a
person who has a SLED-certified or approved competitive handgun
shooting classification; or
(f)(g) a
member of the active or reserve military, or a member of the
National Guard who has had handgun training in the previous
three years.
SLED shall promulgate regulations
containing general guidelines for courses and qualifications for
instructors which would satisfy the requirements of this item.
For purposes of subitems (a) and (b), 'proof of training' is not
satisfied unless the organization and its instructors meet or
exceed the guidelines and qualifications contained in the
regulations promulgated by SLED pursuant to this item.
(6)(5)
'Concealable weapon' means a firearm having a
length of less than twelve inches measured along its greatest
dimension that must be carried in a manner that is hidden from
public view in normal wear of clothing except when needed for
self-defense, defense of others, and the protection of real or
personal property.
(7)(6)
'Proof of ownership of real property' means a
certified current document from the county assessor of the
county in which the property is located verifying ownership of
the real property. SLED must determine the appropriate document
that fulfills this requirement."
SECTION 2. Section 23-31-215 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 349 of 2008, is further amended to read:
"Section 23-31-215.
(A) Notwithstanding any other
provision of law, except subject to subsection (B) of
this section, SLED must issue a permit, which is no
larger than three and one-half inches by three inches in size,
to carry a concealable weapon to a resident or qualified
nonresident who is at least twenty-one years of age and who is
not prohibited by state law from possessing the weapon upon
submission of:
(1)
a completed application signed by the person;
(2)
one current full face color photograph of the
person, not smaller than one inch by one inch nor larger than
three inches by five inches photocopy of a driver's
license;
(3)
proof of residence or if the person is a qualified
nonresident, proof of ownership of real property in this State;
(4)
proof of actual or corrected vision rated at 20/40 within
six months of the date of application or, in the case of a
person licensed to operate a motor vehicle in this State,
presentation of a valid driver's license;
(5)
proof of training;
(6)
payment of a fifty-dollar seventy-five
dollar application fee for a resident of this State and
seventy-five dollars for a nonresident. This fee must be
waived for disabled veterans and retired law enforcement
officers; and
(7)
a complete set of fingerprints unless, because of a
medical condition verified in writing by a licensed medical
doctor, a complete set of fingerprints is impossible to submit.
In lieu of the submission of fingerprints, the applicant must
submit the written statement from a licensed medical doctor
specifying the reason or reasons why the applicant's
fingerprints may not be taken. If all other qualifications are
met, the Chief of SLED may waive the fingerprint requirements of
this item. The statement of medical limitation must be attached
to the copy of the application retained by SLED. A law
enforcement agency may charge a fee not to exceed five dollars
for fingerprinting an applicant.
(B) Upon submission of
the items required by subsection (A) of this
section, SLED must conduct or facilitate a local,
state, and federal fingerprint review of the applicant. SLED
must also must conduct a background
check of the applicant through notification to and input from
the sheriff of the county where the applicant resides or if the
applicant is a qualified nonresident, where the applicant owns
real property in this State. The sheriff within ten working
days after notification by SLED, must
may submit a recommendation on an application. Before
making a determination whether or not to issue a permit under
this article, SLED must consider the recommendation provided
pursuant to this subsection. The failure of the sheriff
to submit a recommendation within the ten-day period constitutes
a favorable recommendation for the issuance of the permit to the
applicant. If the fingerprint review and background
check are favorable, SLED must issue the permit.
(C) SLED shall issue a
written statement to an unqualified applicant specifying its
reasons for denying the application within ninety days from the
date the application was received; otherwise, SLED shall issue a
concealable weapon permit. If an applicant is unable to comply
with the provisions of Section
23-31-210(4)(5), SLED shall offer the
applicant a handgun training course that satisfies the
requirements of Section
23-31-210(4)(a)(5). The course shall
cost fifty dollars. SLED shall use the proceeds to defray the
training course's operating costs. If a permit is granted by
operation of law because an applicant was not notified of a
denial within the ninety-day notification period, the permit may
be revoked upon written notification from SLED that sufficient
grounds exist for revocation or initial denial.
(D) Denial of an
application may be appealed. The appeal must be in writing and
state the basis for the appeal. The appeal must be submitted to
the Chief of SLED within thirty days from the date the denial
notice is received. The chief shall issue a written decision
within ten days from the date the appeal is received. An
adverse decision shall specify the reasons for upholding the
denial and may be reviewed by the Administrative Law
Judge Division Court pursuant to Article
5, Chapter 23 of, Title 1, upon a
petition filed by an applicant within thirty days from the date
of delivery of the division's decision.
(E) SLED must make
permit application forms available to the public. A permit
application form shall require an applicant to supply:
(1)
name, including maiden name if applicable;
(2)
date and place of birth;
(3)
sex;
(4)
race;
(5)
height;
(6)
weight;
(7)
eye and hair color;
(8)
current residence address, or if the applicant is
a qualified nonresident, current residence address and where the
applicant owns real property in this State; and
(9)
all residence addresses for the three years preceding the
application date.
(F) The permit
application form shall require the applicant to certify that:
(1)
he is not a person prohibited under state law from
possessing a weapon;
(2)
he understands the permit is revoked and must be
surrendered immediately to SLED if the permit holder becomes a
person prohibited under state law from possessing a weapon;
and
(3)
he is a resident of this State, is military
personnel on permanent change of station orders, or is a
qualified nonresident; and
(4)
all information contained in his application
is true and correct to the best of his knowledge.
(G) Medical personnel,
law enforcement agencies, organizations offering handgun
education courses pursuant to Section
23-31-210(4)(a)(5), and their personnel,
who in good faith provide information regarding a person's
application, must be exempt from liability that may arise from
issuance of a permit; provided, however, a weapons instructor
must meet the requirements established in Section
23-31-210(4)(b), (c), (d), (e), or
(f)(5) in order to be exempt from liability
under this subsection.
(H) A permit
application must be submitted in person
or, by mail, or online to SLED
headquarters which shall verify the legibility and accuracy of
the required documents. If an applicant submits his
application online, SLED may continue to make all contact with
that applicant through online communications.
(I) SLED must
maintain a list of all permit holders and the current status of
each permit. SLED may release the list of permit holders or
verify an individual's permit status only if the request is made
by a law enforcement agency to aid in an official investigation,
or if the list is required to be released pursuant to a subpoena
or court order. SLED may charge a fee not to exceed its costs
in releasing the information under this subsection. Except as
otherwise provided in this subsection, a person in possession of
a list of permit holders obtained from SLED must destroy the
list.
(J) A permit is valid
statewide unless revoked because the person has:
(1)
become a person prohibited under state law from possessing
a weapon;
(2)
moved his permanent residence to another state and no
longer owns real property in this State;
(3)
voluntarily surrendered the permit; or
(4)
been charged with an offense that, upon conviction, would
prohibit the person from possessing a firearm. However, if the
person subsequently is found not guilty of the offense, then his
permit must be reinstated at no charge.
Once a permit is revoked, it must be
surrendered to a sheriff, police department, a SLED agent, or by
certified mail to the Chief of SLED. A person who fails to
surrender his permit in accordance with this subsection is
guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined
twenty-five dollars.
(K) A permit holder
must have his permit identification card in his possession
whenever he carries a concealable weapon. When carrying a
concealable weapon pursuant to Article 4
of, Chapter 31
of, Title 23, a permit holder must
inform a law enforcement officer of the fact that he is a permit
holder and present the permit identification card when an
officer:
(1)
identifies himself as a law enforcement officer;
and
(2)
requests identification or a driver's license from a
permit holder.
A permit holder immediately must report the
loss or theft of a permit identification card to SLED
headquarters. A person who violates the provisions of this
subsection is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must
be fined twenty-five dollars.
(L) SLED shall issue a
replacement for lost, stolen, damaged, or destroyed permit
identification cards after the permit holder has updated all
information required in the original application and the payment
of a five-dollar replacement fee. Any change of permanent
address must be communicated in writing to SLED within ten days
of the change accompanied by the payment of a fee of five
dollars to defray the cost of issuance of a new permit. SLED
shall then issue a new permit with the new address. A permit
holder's failure to notify SLED in accordance with this
subsection constitutes a misdemeanor punishable by a twenty-five
dollar fine. The original permit shall remain in force until
receipt of the corrected permit identification card by the
permit holder, at which time the original permit must be
returned to SLED.
(M) A permit issued
pursuant to this section does not authorize a permit holder to
carry a concealable weapon into a:
(1)
police, sheriff, or highway patrol station or any
other law enforcement office or facility law
enforcement, correctional, or detention facility;
(2)
detention facility, prison, or jail
or any other correctional facility or office;
(3) courthouse or
courtroom;
(4)(3) polling
place on election days;
(5)(4) office
of or the business meeting of the governing body of a county,
public school district, municipality, or special purpose
district;
(6)(5) school
or college athletic event not related to firearms;
(7)(6) daycare
facility or pre-school facility;
(8)(7) place
where the carrying of firearms is prohibited by federal law;
or
(9) church or
other established religious sanctuary unless express permission
is given by the appropriate church official or governing body;
or
(10)
hospital, medical clinic, doctor's office, or any
other facility where medical services or procedures are
performed unless expressly authorized by the employer
(8)
place clearly marked with a sign prohibiting the
carrying of a concealable weapon on the premises pursuant to
Sections 23-31-220 and 23-31-235. Except that a property owner
or an agent acting on his behalf, by express written consent,
may allow individuals of his choosing to enter onto property
regardless of any posted sign to the contrary.
A person who wilfully violates a provision
of this subsection is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon
conviction, must be fined not less than one thousand dollars or
imprisoned not more than one year, or both, at the discretion of
the court and have his permit revoked for five years.
Nothing contained herein
in this section may be construed to alter or affect the
provisions of Sections 10-11-320, 16-23-420, 16-23-430,
16-23-465, 44-23-1080, 44-52-165, 50-9-830, and 51-3-145.
(N) Valid out-of-state
permits to carry concealable weapons held by a resident of a
reciprocal state must be honored by this State, provided, that
the reciprocal state requires an applicant to successfully pass
a criminal background check and a course in firearm training and
safety. A resident of a reciprocal state carrying a concealable
weapon in South Carolina is subject to and must abide by the
laws of South Carolina regarding concealable weapons. SLED
shall maintain and publish a list of those states as the states
with which South Carolina has reciprocity.
(O) A permit issued
pursuant to this article is not required for a person:
(1)
specified in Section 16-23-20, items (1) through (5) and
items (7) through (11);
(2)
carrying a self-defense device generally considered to be
nonlethal including the substance commonly referred to as
'pepper gas'; or
(3)
carrying a concealable weapon in a manner not prohibited
by law.
(P) A permit issued
pursuant to this article is valid for four
five years. Subject to subsection (Q) of this
section, SLED shall renew a currently valid permit
upon:
(1)
payment of a fifty-dollar renewal fee by the applicant.
This fee must be waived for disabled veterans and retired law
enforcement officers;
(2)
completion of the renewal application; and
(3)
submission of a photocopy of the applicant's valid
South Carolina driver's license or South Carolina identification
card, or if the applicant is a qualified nonresident, a
photocopy of the applicant's valid driver's license or
identification card issued by the state in which the applicant
resides picture identification or facsimile copy
thereof.
(Q) Upon submission of
the items required by subsection (P) of this
section, SLED must conduct or facilitate a
local, state, and federal
fingerprint review background check of
the applicant. If the background check is favorable, SLED must
renew the permit.
(R) No provision
contained within this article shall expand, diminish, or affect
the duty of care owed by and liability accruing to, as may exist
at law immediately before the effective date of this article,
the owner of or individual in legal possession of real property
for the injury or death of an invitee, licensee, or trespasser
caused by the use or misuse by a third party of a concealable
weapon. Absence of a sign prohibiting concealable weapons shall
not constitute negligence or establish a lack of duty of care.
(S) Once a
concealed weapon permit holder is no longer a resident of this
State or is no longer a qualified nonresident, his concealed
weapon permit is void, and immediately must be surrendered to
SLED At least thirty days before a permit issued
pursuant to this article expires, SLED shall notify the permit
holder by mail or online if permitted by subsection (H) at the
permit holder's address of record that the permit is set to
expire along with notification of the permit holder's
opportunity to renew the permit pursuant to the provisions of
subsections (P) and (Q).
(T) During the first
quarter of each calendar year, SLED must publish a report of the
following information regarding the previous calendar year:
(1)
the number of permits;
(2)
the number of permits that were issued;
(3)
the number of permit applications that were denied;
(4)
the number of permits that were renewed;
(5)
the number of permit renewals that were denied;
(6)
the number of permits that were suspended or revoked; and
(7)
the name, address, and county of a person whose permit was
revoked, including the reason for the revocation
under pursuant to Section
23-31-215 subsection (J)(1).
The report must include a breakdown of such
information by county."
SECTION 3. Section 16-23-20(9)(a) of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 28 of 2007, is further amended to read:
"(a) secured in a closed glove compartment, closed console, closed trunk, or in a closed container secured by an integral fastener and transported in the luggage compartment of the vehicle; however, this item is not violated if the glove compartment, console, or trunk is opened in the presence of a law enforcement officer for the sole purpose of retrieving a driver's license, registration, or proof of insurance. If the person has been issued a concealed weapons permit pursuant to Article 4, Chapter 31, Title 23, then the person also may secure his weapon under a seat in a vehicle, or in any open or closed storage compartment within the vehicle's passenger compartment; or"
SECTION 4. Section 16-23-10(10) of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 294 of 2004, is amended to read:
(10) 'Luggage
compartment' means the trunk of a motor vehicle which has a
trunk; however, with respect to a motor vehicle which does not
have a trunk, the term 'luggage compartment' refers to the area
of the motor vehicle in which the manufacturer designed that
luggage be carried or to the area of the motor vehicle in which
luggage is customarily carried. In a station wagon, van,
hatchback vehicle, truck, or sport utility vehicle, the
term 'luggage compartment' refers to the area behind,
but not under, the rearmost seat. In a truck,
the term 'luggage compartment' refers to the area behind the
rearmost seat, but not under the front seat."
SECTION 5. Section 23-31-240 of the 1976 Code is repealed.
SECTION 6. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor. /
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend title to conform.