The hidden opponents of your Second Amendment rights began to expose themselves yesterday!
There were two different opportunities to advance Constitutional Carry yesterday and state Senator Larry Martin (R-Pickens) was the key player in stopping both.
Simply put, Constitutional Carry means if you can legally own a weapon, you can carry it, without begging permission from the government.
But before I get to that, here is a report on S308, the Restaurant Carry bill.
It passed the Senate yesterday, but with a curfew.
Isn’t it ironic that the Senate has decided to disarm you when you need it the most -- late at night when crossing a dark parking lot to your car!
Senator Shane Massey (R-Lexington) led this NRA backed compromise amendment to S308.
I got reports from the Senate floor that the only reason many Senators voted for this gun rights curfew is, in their words, "the NRA said it was okay."
I hope that gives you comfort when you are disarmed late at night because of this curfew and confronted by an armed thug!
The compromising Senators will tell you that the Restaurant Carry bill would never have passed without this curfew.
With a 28 – 18 Republican majority in the Senate, it should never have even been in question.
But I understand that some Republicans are gun rights elitist or even down right anti-gun, denying full Second Amendment rights to every law abiding citizen.
But which ones?
We can’t call attention to who they are if we have no voting record!
Yes, we do know a few of the more vocal opponents, but without an up or down vote on the bill without a curfew, we can’t identify all of the Senators who opposed it.
This premature curfew compromise has robbed you of the tool you need to hold your Senator accountable for disarming you late at night, when you need your weapon the most.
But, fortunately, we do have a record of the vote for the curfew amendment. Like I said, some Senators will tell you Restaurant Carry would never have passed without it.
You can find a list of the 26 Senators who voted to disarm you if you have to leave a restaurant after midnight at this link.
You are left to determine if your Senator was one that would have voted against S308 without the curfew. But, without an up or down vote on the bill without the curfew amendment, you may never know.
Contact state Senator Shane Massey and tell him how you feel about being disarmed late at night, when you need it the most. (803)212-6024 and ShaneMassey@scsenate.gov.
Back to Constitutional Carry and Larry Martin. Senator Larry Martin is the chairman of the Judiciary Committee where S115, Constitutional Carry, is currently on the schedule.
When the Judiciary Committee adjourned last week, S115 was the first bill on the agenda for consideration this week.
That is very important, because with many bills on their agenda, where a bill is placed determines if it is even discussed.
Being first on the schedule ensured the bill a vote this week in committee.
However, when this week’s agenda was published, Larry Martin had moved S115 to LAST on the agenda. A move that ensured S115 would not make it out of committee.
With a crossover deadline of May 1st, Larry is trying to killed any chance of S115 becoming law this year.
Contact Senator Larry Martin and tell him what you think about his attempt to kill S115!
LarryMartin@scsenate.gov and (803)212-6610.
But his opposition to S115 didn’t stop there.
Perhaps foreseeing what Larry Martin would do in Judiciary Committee, the primary sponsor of the S115, Senator Lee Bright (R-Spartanburg) decided to put Constitutional Carry up as amendment to S308, the Restaurant Carry bill.
This now seemed to be the only chance to get Constitutional Carry enacted this year.
True to form, Larry Martin objected to the Constitutional Carry amendment using "Rule 24".
Rule 24 says that an amendment cannot be made if it is not "germane" or relevant to the main bill.
Glenn McConnell, the President of the Senate, agreed with Larry Martin and ruled the Constitutional Carry amendment out of order; killing it without a vote.
Senator Larry Martin is dead set on killing Constitutional Carry and is using every tool in his playbook to do so.
Contact Senator Larry Martin and tell him what you think about his attempts to kill Constitutional Carry. LarryMartin@scsenate.gov and (803)212-6610.
Senator Lee Bright will continue to use every procedure he can to get S115 passed this year. He needs your support!
It is CRITICAL that you contact your Senator TODAY and tell him to support Lee Bright’s efforts! Tell him to vote with Lee Bright to bring S115 to a vote in the Senate.
You can find your Senator and his contact information at this link.
