S 0753 General Bill, By Knotts, S. Martin, Rose, Bright, Leatherman, McConnell, 
Courson, Williams, McGill, Elliott, Mulvaney, Rankin, Coleman, Campbell, 
Campsen, Shoopman, Grooms, Verdin, Fair, Cleary and Bryant
 A BILL TO AMEND SECTION 23-31-215 OF THE 1976 CODE, RELATING TO ISSUING
 CONCEALED WEAPONS PERMITS, TO PROVIDE THAT PERMITS ISSUED TO QUALIFIED
 NONRESIDENTS ARE VALID FOR FOUR YEARS, TO PROVIDE THAT PERMITS ISSUED TO
 RESIDENTS ARE GOOD FOR LIFE, AND TO PROVIDE FOR APPROPRIATE FEES.

   04/23/09  Senate Introduced and read first time SJ-6
   04/23/09  Senate Referred to Committee on Judiciary SJ-6
   05/05/09  Senate Referred to Subcommittee: Knotts (ch), Massey, Coleman

TO AMEND SECTION 23-31-215 OF THE 1976 CODE, RELATING TO ISSUING CONCEALED WEAPONS PERMITS, TO PROVIDE THAT PERMITS ISSUED TO QUALIFIED NONRESIDENTS ARE VALID FOR FOUR YEARS, TO PROVIDE THAT PERMITS ISSUED TO RESIDENTS ARE GOOD FOR LIFE, AND TO PROVIDE FOR APPROPRIATE FEES.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION    1.    Section 23-31-215(P) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"(P)    A permit issued pursuant to this article is valid for four years for a qualified nonresident and for life for a resident.

(1)    Subject to subsection (Q) of this section, SLED shall renew a currently valid qualified nonresident permit upon:

(1)(i)    payment of a fifty-dollar renewal fee by the applicant. This fee must be waived for disabled veterans and retired law enforcement officers;

(2)(ii)    completion of the renewal application; and

(3)(iii)    submission of a photocopy of the applicant's valid South Carolina driver's license or South Carolina identification card, or if the applicant is a qualified nonresident, a photocopy of the applicant's valid driver's license or identification card issued by the state in which the applicant resides.

(2)    Upon request and the payment of the appropriate fee, SLED must issue a lifetime concealed weapon permit to a person who is a resident of this State and lawfully possesses a concealed weapon permit as of the effective date of this section. A new permit must be issued by SLED within thirty days of the permit holder's request. The new permit must be clearly marked as 'Lifetime Concealed Weapon Permit'. The fee to convert a current concealed weapon permit to a lifetime permit is two hundred dollars for people between the age of twenty one and forty, one hundred fifty dollars for people between the age of forty one and fifty five, and one hundred dollars for people fifty six years of age and older. This fee must be waived for disabled veterans and retired law enforcement officers. The current permit shall remain in full force and effect during the conversion to a lifetime permit with no lapse.

(3)    SLED may revoke a lifetime permit in the same manner a concealed weapon permit may be revoked pursuant to the provisions of Section 23-21-215 or another provision of law."