Gov. Nikki Haley Backs 'Constitutional Carry' for South Carolinians

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley (R) is backing “a proposal that would make it legal for most South Carolinians to carry guns – concealed or in the open – without a permit.”

This is Constitutional Carry, a scenario in which the 2nd Amendment is the only permit a citizen needs in order to exercise his right not simply to keep arms but to bear them as well. 

Arizona made the move to Constitutional Carry in April 2010, when Governor Jan Brewer (R) signed a law recognizing an AZ citizens’ right to carry handguns openly or concealed without a permit. When she signed the bill she said, “This bill not only protects the Second Amendment rights of Arizona citizens, but restores those rights as well.”

According to The State, Gov. Haley is thinking the same way, and after expressing her support for Constitutional Carry she said, “Criminals are dangerous, and I think every resident should be allowed to protect themselves from criminals.” The Constitutional Carry bill is sponsored by state senator Lee Bright (R-Spartanburg), who believes “the Second Amendment gives Americans the right to carry guns without any government restrictions.” 

On September 13 Breitbart News reported that Mississippi had adopted Constitutional Carry for those who carry firearms openly. In so doing Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant (R) echoed the sentiment of Brewer and Haley when he said carrying openly without a permit “affirms the right to keep and bear arms not only as set forth in the Bill of Rights, but also in Mississippi’s constitution.”

Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins.