Grass Roots Gun Rights SC

Joined
Oct 26, 2011
Messages
10
What is the story behind this group? I hear it has disintegrated.

Is there any alternative or other similar organization to fight for state level civil rights?

Is there any interest in creating one if there is none?

I just moved here from VA and the VCDL, VA Citizen's Defense League really got things done. I would like to be part of something similar here.

So far, I can't hardly find many gun competitions, there are no shooting clubs/ranges that charge a reasonable rate, and there are an astounding number of (IMO) unconstitutional and objectionable limitations on the civil rights of free citizens in this state.
 
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Typical White Person said:
there are no shooting clubs/ranges that charge a reasonable rate

Are you talking about here or VA? PGC in Summerville is $250 Year for year 1, $200 Year for year 2-5, and $100 Year for year 5 till ur dead. How can anybody say this isn't reasonable?

I spend more in satellite TV and internet in a month than this cost all year. Thats $20.83 a month. Thats one trip to Mc. D's. I have signed on tons of customers and not ONE hasnt been HAPPY. Anytime you want to go and see the range I will take you.
 
SE SC sounds nice like that. I live 1/2 mile from NC near CLT. Nearest ranges charge North of $300 for annual dues, one has a $500 initiation fee as well. The nearest 3 gun or USPSA matches are over 1 hour away. I know this area is infested with escaped yankees, but I thought such a large city would have many more shooting events, not less, than were available to me in rural central VA.
 
what,where is CLT?

i used to shoot with a club near Spartanburg. missed one match in 8 years.

at the time dues were ,NRA membership, 25 bucks a year and 4 dollars per match. have to be a little more now. yearly banquet with 1st 2nd and 3rd plaques in 4 catagories.

monthly IPSC match. now they do 1 IPSC then a IDPA. a match per week. you also get a key to the gate to shoot anytime. one thing though, no rifles.

Spartanburg Practical Shooting Association
 
CLT = (Charlotte), NC

Many matches in GSP Greenville/Spartanburg area, CAE (Columbia), SC, Mooresville and Statesville, NC also. None are within an hour's drive.

I'm told some locals here carpool to save on driving expenses. If I'm gonna go, I will have to do this as well. I can't afford a gas bill that is triple the match fees.
 
Hey TWP !

Yup, we're kind of shy of gun ranges here in upstate. Nearest free range is Leeds in Sumter National Forest (google Leeds, DNR, SC).

Regarding Gun orgs, join Gun Owners of South Carolina (GOSC), the state affiliate for the NRA. $15 / year. They do lots of legislative stuff and are in tight with NRA-national level. Heck, State Legislator Mike Pitts is an Instructor for GOSC and he introduces almost all the legislation in the house and NRA director Herb Lanford is a GOSC life member from Columbia. That's what I call 'good friend'. Nothing going with competitions, however.

Charlotte R&P club hosts many competitions open to the public including national match and IDPA. Indoor range is at Sportsman on Hands Mill Hwy (Rt 274) near the Newport Walmart. $8/hour.


Let me know if you're interested in black-powder shooting (civil war guns). We shoot in Statesville NC (north of Charlotte) in competitions. Tons of fun!

PS: Welcome to SC!!!

-Mike
 
The General said:
Yup, we're kind of shy of gun ranges here in upstate. Nearest free range is Leeds in Sumter National Forest (google Leeds, DNR, SC).

Your forgetting Pauline which does have a ranger but he's cool as long as it not full auto. Philsons crossroads is another check the DNR website they're there.

Theres also a club not far from me in Moore that IIRC does IDPA or ISPC I can't remember which..
 
Great tips, thanks!

I took a trip to Leeds and even tho it was 75 minutes for a public range, it was actually worth it. The eeebil NRA spent a bunch of money to upgrayyed the place and it shows. Great covered shooting benches, decent berms at 25, 50 and 100 and sufficient parking. Actually full on a weekday which was not so surprising with all the bitter clingers up in mhea. :D

It's a good option except for when I just want to spend <1hr testing a new gun or reload recipe. I worked a deal with a CRPC member and have snaked my way into shooting as his guest. He is retired and I am a full time salaried layabout, so that is pure win.

I guess no one wants to discuss Grass Roots SC?
 
To answer your original question, Grass Roots S.C. has shut down pending a number of legal actions by the S.C. Attorney Generals office. Seems they haven't been following their own charter and the requirements of the state for election of officers, scheduling board meetings and the accounting of where the money goes. I was a member since the beginning and don't recall a single election. I have yet to get the whole story from someone on the inside. Meanwhile, Gun Owners of South Carolina (www.gosc.org) seems to be the only other statewide organization with any clout (NRA). There are a number of folks who question whether they are really our friends due to a number of questionably positions they have taken on concealed carry. I really don't know enough about that to make an accurate assessment. Bill
 
Thanks for the depressing but informative info.

I am also wary about a state level NRA group. They are too compromised and conservative for my tastes in advancing firearms freedoms. That being said, I am an NRA life member.
 
I can personally assure you that GOSC does NOT have any evil intentions or smart-a$$ officiers that are more interested in themselves than the organization.

We do all our legislation in complete harmony with members of the Legislature. Sometime, from the outside it looks like a bill is 'good' but it needs to be killed just so a better one can be devise (in other words, poison amendments were attached). "Hair on fire" organizations will run around like loonies spreading falsehoods, but you need to take a careful look at all the facts and come to an understanding yourself. But $15 gets that taken care of for you.

For instance, few folks know that the only way to get pro-gun legislation onto the floor requires the approval of the big muckety-mucks in the Legislature and that one of them (an ex-LEO) will only allow gun bills out during election years. That way, he can wave it around on election day. You have to spend the other year negotiating with him in order to let it out on the floor the next year. "WOW, Oh my God!! They can't do that!!! I'll write venomous internet postings about how that gun org isn't doing a good enough job while I'm sitting on my brains" (OK - Rant over)

How do I know this? The wife is the Exec Secretary for GOSC and I do all the membership processing.

Believe me: Its good people doing good things... Join www.gosc.org

-Mike
 
Hi Mike,

Could you gather some information for us on GOSC and start a new thread. Mainly, I, and others, would like to know where GOSC stands on a certain topics. There's not much info on the GOSC website. Topics such as Constitutional Carry, H.B. 822 (National Reciprocity Act), guns on school grounds/campuses, restaurant carry (carrying in places that serve alcohol), carrying in state government buildings, carrying while voting, etc.

Are the positions on such topics, or bills related to such topics, dependent on the member's views? Would members vote on issues or elect representatives?

Just trying to get some info out there, as I'm curious, and I'm sure others are, as well.
 
Hey Mike. It's good to hear that GOSC is on the up and up.

When will they be issuing a position paper on this years bills?
 
H3292 is the singular bill that is being put forth to the Legislature that attempts to "clean up" all the confusing/contradictory gun laws in SC. It allows for Constitutional Carry (no permit required), Open Carry without a permit, Carry into a liquor-serving restaurant as long as you don't drink, OK to leave it in your car at work, OK to leave your gun in the car on school grounds, Carry ANYWHERE (no exceptions for gvt buildings, police stations, court houses, etc), ALL out of states are recognized, OK to carry into someones home unless they ask you not to (today, you have to ask permission first).

There is also S 249 which states that any gun made in SC (or parts of guns or accoutraments) are NOT subject to Federal Regulation (excludes MGs).

There is also some other ones that don't amount to much. I followed the GOSC link to Legislation, then to the 2011-2012 prefiled legislation, then hit the link to 2011-2101 prefiled..., then once on the SC website, hit Quick Search and typed 'firearm' into the 'Search for' window.

Drop a line to the club President

Gerald W. Stoudemire
Post Office Box 211
Little Mountain, SC 29075
803-345-5761 (H)
803-945-7677
[email protected]


And let him know that you're interested in GOSC and have a few questions.

- Mike
 
Thanks. That's good info.

Let me ask what may seem like a stupid question. What is the reason to wrap all of those different ideas up into one bill? Some of those items are a much higher priority than others (in my opinion) and some of the important ones would have a much easier time of flying without being dragged down by the less important ones. Is there something about SC politics that prevents writing bills limited to a single concept, then just putting in as many bills as you need?

Since you seem pretty knowledgable on the topic, is there a scorecard kept of the pro 2A reps and the antis?
 
While I can't speak for the inner workings of the Legislatures, I gather it has more to do with "the fewer the bills we have to vote on, the less the chance of the Legislature saying "Enough is enough". I'm sure they will pick and choose some of the items, but it will prevent some of the less popular items (less popular with the moderates) from never even getting a chance to come to the floor.

Look at it this way, if all the bills are separate, then Jakey Knotts can allow some and prevent others from making it to a vote. But he can still say "I'm passing pro-gun laws" without actually admitting that he's holding many back. Group them all together and he can't make that claim. Since he wants to be able to say he's pro-gun, its a way of getting around his BS.

-Mike
 
Interesting. This will be my first season in SC, so I'll watch and learn. In Virginia, this would be an easy target for the antis. With only one bill to kill in committee, the game would be over early.
 
Agreed. But fortunately, the antis are so outnumbered at every level, there is little chance it would get killed. I suspect we'll see some portions of it deleted, but I would expect the marjority of the bill to pass this year. Especially since Knotts is up for reelection and its going to be a tight race.

-Mike
 
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