With near supermajorities, Republicans remain obstinate to the demands of gun owners in SC. 

Even after Senate Republicans secured a super-majority in the last election, they still refuse to muster the political courage to restore your gun rights.

Last session, a largely “Republican” held body joined forces with Democrats to KILL Senator Shane Martin’s Constitutional Carry amendment to H. 3094 by a vote of 25 to 21.

Despite their rhetoric of “supporting the Second Amendment”, NINE Senators plowed ahead with the gun control status quo of imprisoning and fining anyone who decides to arm themselves without government permission.

This is unacceptable.

Since the House insisted on passing both Open and Constitutional Carry, anti-gun Senators decided to use the weak restricted open carry bill as cover from gun owners in their districts.

So unfortunately, many of these Senators have attempted to go back to their districts patting themselves on the back and declare just how “pro-gun” they are.

But we know better.

We want to express sincere thanks to Senator Shane Martin for offering and valiantly fighting for his Constitutional Carry amendment.

Senator Martin has spent years building support for this important legislation in the Senate and has repeatedly fought to restore the gun rights of law-abiding gun owners in South Carolina.

Martin resolutely weathered multiple attempts to undermine his amendment from Judiciary Chairman Luke Rankin and Senate Pro Temp Hugh Leatherman.

Immediately after, Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey took the podium to rail against Constitutional Carry for more than an hour.

In his spiel, Massey often relied on talking points used by far-left gun control advocates, who routinely try to justify all sorts of draconian gun control schemes.

Massey went so far as to bizarrely claim that founding father James Madison would no longer agree with the Second Amendment today.

Senator Chip Campsen subsequently took the podium to pompously proclaim a lack of confidence in his fellow citizens’ ability to handle firearms and know the law regarding their legal use.

Gun rights for me, not for thee.

The arrogance of these politicians knows no bounds as they claim to know better than the Founding Fathers who drafted the Second Amendment.

Fortunately, Senators Tom Corbin, Richard Cash, Josh Kimbrell, Danny Verdin, Rex Rice, and Brian Adams all stood to challenge Massey and Campsen’s ridiculous arguments.

But after 6 hours of debate, the Senate voted 25 to 21 to KILL Constitutional Carry.

These 9 Republicans joined with Democrats to once again deny you your God-given right of self-defense without a government permission slip.

Shane Massey (SD 25)          Luke Rankin (SD 33)

Chip Campsen (SD 43)          Sean Bennett (SD 38)

Greg Hembree (SD 28)          Penry Gustafson (SD 27)

Sandy Senn (SD 41)            Hugh Leatherman (SD 31)

Michael Johnson (SD 16)

If any of these Senators are in your district, we urge you to call them and remind them that their anti-gun behavior has not gone unnoticed.

Their numbers will be listed at the end of this article.

While I’m sure you are disappointed about the outcome of this vote (believe me, I am as well), there is still a lot to be proud of.

For the first time in history, Constitutional Carry passed the House!

The importance of this win cannot be overstated, as it was a massive hurdle in the journey to restoring our rights.

And we can confidently say that never before has Constitutional Carry been talked about among the offices, the lobbies, and even in the bathrooms of the Capitol.

Every office our staff spoke with reported that they had been inundated with calls, emails, and texts demanding Constitutional Carry.

But now weak-kneed politicians are assuming you’ll fall for their lies when they claim how “pro-gun” they are for supporting a weak restricted open carry bill.

This is where we must draw a line in the sand and demand nothing less than our rights restored and Constitutional Carry made law!

These 9 Senators will now return to their districts, content in their “fight,” but we must ensure they do not receive the praise they are expecting.

So please chip in $30 or $15 to help us hold their feet to the fire and demand nothing less than Constitutional Carry!

There’s a price to pay for voting against our gun rights, and your support enables us to hold weak-kneed legislators accountable.

All this momentum we’ve built is all thanks to members and supporters like you.

And we can’t wait to see what it leads to in the future.

The political class is on their heels and we must ensure that it stays that way.

Thank you for your continued dedication to the rights we hold so dear.

For Freedom,

Denise Snelling

Chairman

Palmetto Gun Rights

The contact information for the 9 Republican Senators who voted to kill Constitutional Carry is listed below.

Shane Massey (SD 25)                    (803) 480-0419

Luke Rankin (SD 33)                      (803) 212-6610

Chip Campsen (SD 43)                   (803) 212-6340

Sean Bennett (SD 38)                     (803) 212-6410

Greg Hembree (SD 28)                   (803) 212-6350

Penry Gustafson (SD 27)                (803) 669-6364

Sandy Senn (SD 41)                         (803) 212-6116

Hugh Leatherman (SD 31)             (803) 212-6640

Michael Johnson (SD 16)               (803) 984-0126