Governor signs bill allowing 18-year-olds to own handguns

COLUMBIA, S.C. –
People as young as 18 can now buy and own handguns in South Carolina.

Gov. Mark Sanford signed a bill into law Wednesday to lower the minimum age from 21.

“People who are old enough to fight and die in the military should be able to purchase handguns, and the bill will put our laws more in line with those of other states,” Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer said.

I’ve got to tell you, I absolutely LOVE that argument, and that logic. We have a set of standards in this country that are all over the place. A 15 year old girl can go to a judge to bypass parental notice if they want an abortion, however they can’t buy cigarettes. At 17 you can enlist for the Army (with parental consent, if I’m not mistaken), but you can’t buy a beer, buy a gun, and in some states can’t drive.

The law went into effect immediately. Federal law still prohibits firearm retailers and dealers from selling handguns to people younger than 21. But the state law now allows individuals to sell handguns to anyone 18 or over.

South Carolina is one of 18 states - and the only one in the South - that had set 21 as the age for handgun ownership, according to the National Rifle Association. The group says Wyoming has no handgun age requirement. In Montana, it’s set at 14; in Vermont, 16.

Vermont always surprises me. Burlington, VT is probably one of the most liberal-leaning locations right of San Fran, and the rest of the state is pretty wild and rural. Unfortunately, that screws up VT when it comes to things like elected officials and taxes. But I like their gun laws. I can carry mine across the border from NH to VT concealed without any worry of breaking a law. Not so with Maine or MA, unfortunately.

Rep. Mike Pitts, a Laurens Republican and retired police officer, had filed the bill to help out a national gun wholesaler located in Lexington County where employees younger than 21 were filling orders over the phone. A legal opinion by state Attorney General Henry McMaster had said that was not allowed because of their age and Pitts argued it would cost half the company’s workers their jobs.

Good on ya.

Pitts said gun retailers will still have to comply with state and federal firearms laws.

He said he sees no need to change the minimum age of 21 for a concealed weapons permit in South Carolina.

Hey, take what we can get, right. All in all, a nice victory for SC.

UPDATE: Thanks for the link David! Bring on the ArmsandtheLawalanche … or something.