Already a law on the book that is rarely charged.
Via WISTV:
Several state lawmakers and two law enforcement officials from the Midlands joined together at the Statehouse Monday to show their support for new legislation linked to keeping guns out of the hands of criminals statewide.
State Representatives Seth Rose (D-Columbia), Kirkman Finlay (R-Columbia), and Ivory Thigpen (D-Columbia), will co-sponsor and introduce a bill that seeks to address the pervasive issue of criminals unlawfully carrying firearms on our streets.
Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook and Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott both joined Monday’s press conference in show of support for the new bill. Both law enforcement leaders say it’s a statewide problem, not just a problem in the Midlands.
“We need help,” Lott said. “We’ve got too many people who are dying due to gun violence. And we tend to see that it’s a small minority of people committing the majority of those crimes. These are the ones that this law is focusing on. This is not your law-abiding citizen who wants to go out and buy a gun. These are the criminals who continuously break the law and continuously carry guns and continuously shoot.”
The proposed law would amend existing law by make it unlawful to possess a weapon if you have been convicted of a crime that carries over a year and adding graduated penalties for convicted criminals who unlawfully carry a weapon repeatedly. Rose said their proposed legislation would make the current law compliant with federal law.
“This is a plea from law enforcement but it’s also a plea from the community,” Lott said. “It’s not just the cops standing up here saying we need this, our community is saying that. We’re going after the bad guys – not good guys – the bad guys who continuously live and die by the gun, and we’ve got to stop that.”