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Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

H. 3115

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill
Sponsors: Reps. Pitts, Hixon and Thayer
Document Path: l:\council\bills\swb\5207cm15.docx

Introduced in the House on January 13, 2015
Introduced in the Senate on March 31, 2015
Last Amended on March 25, 2015
Currently residing in the Senate Committee on Judiciary

Summary: Firearms and ammunition

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

     Date      Body   Action Description with journal page number
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  12/11/2014  House   Prefiled
  12/11/2014  House   Referred to Committee on Judiciary
   1/13/2015  House   Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 101)
   1/13/2015  House   Referred to Committee on Judiciary 
                        (House Journal-page 101)
   1/21/2015  House   Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Thayer
   3/18/2015  House   Committee report: Favorable with amendment Judiciary 
                        (House Journal-page 35)
   3/19/2015  House   Requests for debate-Rep(s). Delleney, Whipper, Brannon, 
                        Allison, Anderson, Corley, Mack, Hicks, Forrester, RL 
                        Brown, Nanney, Henderson, McCoy, Huggins, Quinn, Pope, 
                        Stavrinakis, GR Smith, Willis, Bedingfield, Stringer, 
                        VS Moss, Yow, Rivers, White, Hill, HA Crawford, Clary, 
                        McEachern, Pitts, Johnson (House Journal-page 22)
   3/25/2015  House   Amended (House Journal-page 40)
   3/25/2015  House   Read second time (House Journal-page 40)
   3/25/2015  House   Roll call Yeas-88  Nays-0 (House Journal-page 42)
   3/26/2015  House   Read third time and sent to Senate 
                        (House Journal-page 49)
   3/31/2015  Senate  Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 7)
   3/31/2015  Senate  Referred to Committee on Judiciary 
                        (Senate Journal-page 4)

View the latest legislative information at the website

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

12/11/2014
3/18/2015
3/25/2015

Indicates Matter Stricken

Indicates New Matter

AMENDED

March 25, 2015

H. 3115

S. Printed 3/25/15--H.

Read the first time January 13, 2015.

TO AMEND SECTION 23-31-510, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE REGULATION OF THE OWNERSHIP, TRANSFER, OR POSSESSION OF FIREARMS OR AMMUNITION, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT NO GOVERNING BODY OF ANY COUNTY, MUNICIPALITY, OR OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISION IN THE STATE MAY ENACT, ENFORCE, OR PROMULGATE ANY REGULATION OR ORDINANCE THAT REGULATES OR ATTEMPTS TO REGULATE THE TRANSFER, OWNERSHIP, POSSESSION, CARRYING, OR TRANSPORTATION OF KNIVES, FIREARMS, AMMUNITION, COMPONENTS OF FIREARMS, OR ANY COMBINATION OF THESE THINGS.

Amend Title To Conform

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION    1.    Section 23-31-510 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 220 of 2008, is further amended to read:

"Section 23-31-510.    No governing body of any county, municipality, or other political subdivision in the State may enact or promulgate any regulation or ordinance that regulates or attempts to regulate:

(1)    the transfer, ownership, possession, carrying, or transportation of knives, firearms, ammunition, components of firearms, or any combination of these things; or

(2)    a landowner discharging a firearm on the landowner's property to protect the landowner's family, employees, the general public, or the landowner's property from animals that the landowner reasonably believes pose a direct threat or danger to the landowner's property, people on the landowner's property, or the general public. For purposes of this item, the landowner's property must be a parcel of land comprised of at least twenty-five contiguous acres. Any ordinance regulating the discharge of firearms that does not specifically provide for an exclusion pursuant to this item is unenforceable as it pertains to an incident described in this item; otherwise, the ordinance is enforceable."

SECTION    2.    Section 23-31-520 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 347 of 2006, is further amended to read:

"Section 23-31-520.    This article does not affect the authority of any county, municipality, or political subdivision to regulate the careless or negligent discharge or public brandishment of knives or firearms, nor does it prevent the regulation of public brandishment of firearms during the times of or a demonstrated potential for insurrection, invasions, riots, or natural disasters. This article denies any county, municipality, or political subdivision the power to confiscate a firearm or ammunition unless incident to an arrest."

SECTION    3.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

This web page was last updated on April 24, 2015 at 9:24 AM