COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- South Carolina lawmakers will discuss getting rid of requirements to get a permit to carry a concealed weapon weeks after a bill to give politicians more gun rights failed.
A House panel Thursday plans to discuss a proposal that Republican state Rep. Mike Pitts of Laurens says will match South Carolina law with the Second Amendment and recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions.
Democratic state Rep. Joe Neal said the legislation will create a Wild West environment in South Carolina and make the state less safe.
Currently, South Carolina residents have to undergo training and pass a background check to get a concealed weapons permit.
The proposal to loosen gun laws come in the wake of a Jan. 8 assassination attempt on U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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