Money would be used to fund School Resource Officers
Two lawmakers have proposed a new state law that would add an additional seven percent fee to every gun sold in the Palmetto State. The additional revenue would be used to fund SROs (School Resource Officers) throughout the state’s schools. South Carolina currently has about 370 schools that do not have SROs, according to the SC Dept. of Education.
District 70 representative Wendy Brawley (D), and District 79 representative Ivory Thigpen (D) introduced the proposal. With the General Assembly back in session starting today, the proposal could be debated on this week.
Thigpen stressed that this is not an anti-gun proposal.
“We live in a state where people buy guns and people own guns. We’re not in any way saying people shouldn’t do that. As a matter of fact, people have every right to. What we are saying is that we need recurring revenue and funds to provide the type of security and safety that our children need,” Thigpen said.
Brawley agreed, but said she knows the proposal will have its detractors.
“We know that there’ll be some push-back. We are prepared for that, but this is a people’s bill. This is designed to help the most vulnerable population we have, and that’s our children,” she said.
Governor McMaster is not in favor of proposal
WIS-TV in Columbia asked the governor’s office about the proposal. The governor’s office responded with an email that said:
“Governor McMaster was the first to start talking about the need for school resource officers last year in his state of the state address and secured more than $2 million in the final budget for a pilot program to begin the process of reaching his goal of having a certified law enforcement officer in every school, in every county, all day, every day. Reaching that goal is a matter of prioritizing existing funds — not simply taxing and spending.”
If the law passes, it will raise about $22 million in additional revenue each year.
One of the most popular shotguns for hunters is the Remington Versa Max, which has an average cost of about $1000 for the 12-gauge, full synthetic camouflage model. If this proposal becomes law, the same gun would cost $1070 in the state of South Carolina. A Ruger American rifle in .22LR, which averages $270 would increase to about $289.
