COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCSC) - South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster signed into law a bill that will allow anyone who can legally own a gun in South Carolina to openly carry without a permit or prior training.

McMaster signed the bill, known as Constitutional carry or permitless carry, into law Thursday, a day after the South Carolina Senate passed a compromise in a 28-18 vote. The House approved that compromise on Tuesday in a 86-33 vote.

“With my signature, South Carolina is now the 29th state in the country with Constitutional carry,” he said on Facebook. “This bill expands the Second Amendment rights of our law-abiding citizens and will keep violent criminals behind bars with increased penalties for illegal gun use and possession.”

Guns are still banned in the same places they were before like schools and courthouses. People who want to do so can still obtain a concealed weapons permit, though this new law lowers the eligible age for a CWP from 21 to 18.

“I’ve been very adamant that these are our Second Amendment rights under our Constitution, and that anything government’s done has taken that away from us. So I think this is a step where government’s getting out of the way,” Sen. Shane Martin (R-Spartanburg) said.

The legislation got through, despite objections from police chiefs from around the state who were concerned about officers arriving on chaotic scenes where multiple people are armed.

“Without having the need for a permit, we also don’t know if they have legally obtained this firearm. It just puts them at a tremendous disadvantage,” Rep. Ivory Thigpen (D-Richland) said.

The new law does tack on a top request from law enforcement and the governor: Increased penalties for people who illegally carry – like felons who have guns despite being legally barred from doing so. It also enacts tougher penalties for people who don’t have a permit and are caught carrying where it’s prohibited.

“Even though training is not required, it is really encouraged in this, and I think there are a lot of folks who will say at first, ‘I’m not going to get the training. I’m not going to go through the permit process.’ When they look at the potential consequences of not doing it, I think they’ll do it,” Massey said.

But gun safety advocates say this new law will only make South Carolina more dangerous.

“I think it means our gun deaths will go up,” Moms Demand Action spokesperson Patty Tuttle said. “We currently have the sixth-highest rate of gun injury in the country and the sixth-highest rate of gun deaths in the country, and this will only go up. It will make law enforcement’s job more difficult.”

The new law also requires free, optional training be offered at least twice a month in every county, a cost that taxpayer dollars will cover.

It also directs the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to implement a public awareness campaign about the changes in law and the increased penalties for carrying where you’re not allowed. Lawmakers say SLED is already getting started on that in preparation for the law’s enactment Thursday.

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