Knife Preemption May Come To South Carolina

A bill prefiled in the new session of the South Carolina legislature would add knives to the existing state preemption of firearm laws and regulations. H. 3551 was introduced by Rep. W. Brian White (R-Anderson). It simply adds the word “knives” to the list of items reserved to the state.

What a simple fix!

Many states already have firearms preemption laws on the books. The addition of just that one word could protect knife owners and users from the patchwork of local regulations and ordinances that might exist.

Knife Rights notes a similar bill passed the SC House unanimously in 2015 but got bogged down in the SC Senate. They add this about preemption:

Preemption prevents a patchwork of local ordinances more restrictive than state law which only serve to confuse or entrap law-abiding citizens traveling within or through the state. Preemption ensures citizens can expect consistent enforcement of state knife laws everywhere in a state.

There are 12 states that currently have a knife preemption law on the books.