Totes Pro-Life

Your totes pro-life GOP, ladies, gents, and gender rebels:

A proposed law making its way through the South Carolina legislature would loosen gun ownership to an astonishing level. If passed, legal gun owners could bring their weapons to restaurants, day-care centers, and churches. The bill's sponsor, state Rep. Thad Viers (R), says that expanding the places that one can carry a concealed weapon in the state is an effective anti-crime measure:

"It puts criminals on the defense," said state Rep. Thad Viers, R-Horry, a co-sponsor of the bill and the owner of about 25 firearms and a concealed weapons permit. "Criminals don't know if you're carrying or not."

Amazingly, the only debate in the legislature appears to be whether the bill goes far enough. Ed Kelleher, president of GrassRoots South Carolina, a powerful gun group in the state, says the bill "violates the constitutional rights of gun owners" because it only allows for adult, state residents to carry guns in these places — not young people or out-of-state residents. "While the bill might make it better for people in South Carolina, it's going to be a lot worse for others, including those visiting us," Kelleher said. "We depend on tourism here, and this has chilling effect on that."

That would be truly hilarious if it weren't so fucking frightening.

At Think Progress, George also notes: "South Carolina has the ninth-highest rate of firearm murders by state, according to FBI statistics. Just over 68 percent of murders in the state are done with a gun."

"MORE OF THAT!" - The GOP.