Senator Stephen Goldfinch’s record as a legislator raises serious concerns for gun owners in the Palmetto State.
Many gun owners already know about Goldfinch’s record of blocking Constitutional Carry.
As chairman of a key Senate Judiciary subcommittee, Goldfinch helped block Constitutional Carry from advancing in 2019, preventing the bill from moving before a critical legislative deadline and delaying the restoration of gun rights for years. Then, in 2024, he attempted to weaken Constitutional Carry with an anti-gun amendment when it became clear the grassroots wasn’t backing down.
But Goldfinch’s record raises concerns that go beyond the Second Amendment.
In 2015, Goldfinch voted for H. 3722, legislation commonly known as the “Gag” Act. The bill would have restricted the ability of organizations like Palmetto Gun Rights to communicate with grassroots activists about elected officials’ records and hold politicians accountable to the people they represent.
Why does that matter?
Because the First Amendment is one of the most powerful tools in gun owners’ arsenal.
Without the freedom to speak out, organize, and inform fellow citizens about politicians’ records, grassroots activists cannot effectively defend the right to keep and bear arms.
Gun rights victories don’t happen because politicians wake up one day and decide to support freedom. They happen because engaged citizens pressure elected officials to do the right thing.
Yet Goldfinch didn’t stop with the “Gag” Act.
This year, he sponsored S. 76, legislation dubbed the “Gun Owners Are Gang Members” Act.
Opponents warned the bill was so broadly written that anti-gun prosecutors could potentially use racketeering laws against organizations engaged in political advocacy, including groups that expose anti-gun voting records and mobilize gun owners to take action.
It also included provisions that could land otherwise law-abiding gun owners with FELONY CHARGES for relatively minor firearms violations.
Taken together, these two pieces of legislation could empower South Carolina law enforcement to silence and severely punish political opponents and grassroots accountability.
As the state’s top law enforcement official, the Attorney General carries enormous authority. The next Attorney General will have broad discretion in deciding how laws are interpreted and enforced across South Carolina.
Gun owners deserve to know whether someone seeking that office truly believes in protecting both the First and Second Amendments.
Those concerns have only grown after Goldfinch declined to return his Palmetto Gun Rights candidate survey, leaving many gun owners without clear answers about where he stands on their right to keep and bear arms.
That’s his choice.
But it’s also reasonable for voters to ask why a candidate for South Carolina’s top law enforcement office would refuse to answer basic questions about constitutional rights.
That’s a question every gun owner deserves answered.
Palmetto Gun Rights is the South Carolina affiliate of the National Association for Gun Rights, a tax-exempt, non-profit organization under Internal Revenue Code 501(c)4, which does not endorse, support, or oppose any candidate or public office holder. This communication is not authorized by any candidate, candidate’s committee, or political party. Donations are unlimited, but they are not deductible for federal income tax purposes. Not paid for or mailed at taxpayer expense. P.O. Box 25039, Greenville, SC 29616 ∙ PalmettoGunRights.org
