GEORGETOWN, S.C. — A recent ordinance change concerning guns on campus made by the Georgetown County School District may be out of synch with state law.
District spokesman Ray White said the district has received an opinion written by a senior assistant attorney general which indicates the ordinance prohibiting guns locked in a trunk or glove box of an automobile on school property “is inconsistent with and preempted by” state law.
In October, the school board approved a recommendation made by Superintendent Dr. Randy Dozier that bans concealed weapons anywhere on district property.
Currently, if someone — even with a permit to carry a concealed weapon — drives onto any district property with a gun in their vehicle, they are violating the ordinance.
Two weeks after the measure passed, board member Benny Elliott said he regrets the new ordinance.
"I made a mistake. I thought we were passing a policy like Wal-Mart, where you cannot carry a weapon in the building but you can leave them in your car," Elliott said. "I don't want to take a person's rights away."
Elliott pointed out "by the letter of the law" if a parent with a permit to carry a weapon drives on school property to pick up his or her child, that would be in violation.
Board member Arthur Lance said even with the new ordinance, he does not believe people in those situations will have to worry.
"The police will not be prosecuting people dropping off their kids," he said. "No laws will ever satisfy everybody. A campus is not a place for guns to be."
Elliott also said there are many women who drive down dark county roads at night and legally have guns in their cars for protection.
That's a point board member Eric Allen said he had not considered, so he also changed his mind.
“In light of the new opinion from the Attorney General's Office, the Board plans to review those policies when it next meets in early January 2010,” White said.
By Scott Harper
sharper@gtowntimes.com
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Posted by: Bob On: Tuesday, December 22, 2009 8:21 PM
Comment Title:
Jamie Sanderson, when you or your family are the victim of a violent, life threatening attack, I hope you have your stun gun with you. And surely there will be only ONE attacker as to facilitate your inability to shoot more than ONE SHOT or more than one person who is trying to kill you. It is people like you who never made it to the west or safely prevented their or others deaths today who think no one should have a gun. Maybe some law abiding permit carrying citizen will save your limp wristed kumbaya ass when you need it. And PLEASE ask to see the persons CWP if you are a victim, I bet they won't have one.
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Posted by: CWP holder On: Monday, December 21, 2009 8:30 AM
Comment Title: Think about it!
Just because YOU don't believe in guns or think that anybody should have them, doesn't mean that everybody else should, too. If you don't like guns, don't have one. Think about this: no law will keep a criminal from breaking the law. These laws do nothing except prevent law abiding citizens, who have taken the time to learn how to use and carry guns, not to mention obtained a LICENSE, from exercising their CONSTITUTIONAL rights. No person with the intent on committing a crime with a gun is going to see a sign outside of, let's say, First Citizens bank, and put his gun back in the car. So the only people that sign would possibly prevent from bringing a gun inside are LAW ABIDING CITIZENS! Another thing to thing about: Virginia Tech had laws prohibiting guns on campus. A lot of good that did. If students had been permitted to carry legally, perhaps that tragedy could have been greatly reduced. Justify that to the families of those 32 victims.
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