Williamston leader wants to remove gun restrictions on town property

Williamston Town Councilman Rockey Burgess plans to introduce an ordinance that, if passed, would remove some weapons restrictions on many pieces of town-owned property, including public parks, trails and baseball and soccer fields.

The town's police chief has concerns about the proposal, which he says could present safety risks to the public and liability risks for Williamston.

Burgess wants to allow people with valid concealed weapons permits to carry guns on property "owned or controlled by the town of Williamston," according to a draft of the legislation that he posted on his Facebook page. The rule change would apply to concealed weapons permit holders from South Carolina and also those from other states.

Burgess said he plans to introduce the proposal at the town's Dec. 4 meeting.

"I believe that the good guys typically follow the law and the bad guys typically don't," Burgess said in an interview Tuesday. "I think the consequences of us having too many restrictions is that the law-abiding citizens with CWPs could find themselves in a situation where they are unable to defend themselves and protect themselves. This ordinance is about releasing the restrictions in place on the local level."

State law prohibits firearms at Williamston Town Hall where the council meets. The local ordinance would not change that.

Burgess said he expects his proposal to draw some controversy, but has received support from people posting on his Facebook page.

Williamston Police Chief Tony Taylor said he is worried the proposal could have troubling consequences.

"From a training perspective, people with CWPs are not trained the same way as people with law enforcement backgrounds," Taylor said Wednesday. "Different people do CWP training different ways, and you can't be as sure that they aren't taking shortcuts. Plus, CWP holders are not trained for a hostile environment the way law enforcement officers are.

"I think there is the potential for great liability if you have a bunch of people with guns around kids in a park, or at a public event in the park where alcohol is served," Taylor said. "There is potential for an accidental discharge or a very nasty encounter."

Town Attorney Lee Cole said an advisory group made up of town staff will likely discuss Burgess' proposal before the end of the month to offer their impressions of the policy and make recommendations.

"I don't know of any other town in South Carolina that has something like this," he said.

Robert Kittle, a spokesman for the South Carolina Attorney General's Office, said as far as he knows Williamston has not sought a formal opinion about the gun proposal from that office.

"The state constitution would preclude a municipality from regulating matters which have statewide impact such as the gun laws," Kittle said in an email, citing information from the head of the Attorney General's Office's opinions section.

Burgess said he has been working on the proposal for about three months. He said recent mass shootings in the United States have strengthened his belief that he is doing the right thing.

In a recent shooting at a Texas church a neighbor with a gun shot the suspect twice after suspect shot and killed more than two dozen people. That shooting suspect then killed himself, according to media reports.

"I think all you have to do is look at national headlines to see instances where it would help if good, law-abiding people with concealed weapons permits had been allowed to carry their guns," Burgess said.

The proposal begins: "The paramount concern for the town council is the health and safety of the citizens of the Town of Williamston."

Anderson County Council Chairman Tommy Dunn said no one has introduced a similar proposal at the county level.

"I'm not going to put forward something like that," he said. "If somebody else did, I'd try to listen to it open-mindedly, but I'd have some qualms about it. I would first want to hear what the law enforcement community has to say about it."

Cole said that Williamston's ordinances have to be approved on two separate readings before they are final.

Follow Nikie Mayo on Twitter @NikieMayo or email her at mayon@independentmail.com.