Beaufort Co. gun ordinance advances despite safety concerns

by Shelby Coates

BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C. (WTOC) - A proposed gun ordinance restricting firearm use in unincorporated Beaufort County passed its first reading Tuesday night, February 23, with a 7-4 vote, though concerns about enforcement and Second Amendment rights linger ahead of a second vote.

The ordinance would make it unlawful to discharge a weapon outside city limits within 500 feet of a building, park or school. It came in response to multiple neighborhood complaints last year after residents reported stray bullets striking their homes, prompting concerns about outdoor safety.

Residents who worked with a county council committee to draft the measure had initially pushed for a 1,000-foot buffer zone but settled for the 500-foot distance in the final proposal.

Questions About Enforcement

During Tuesday’s council meeting, members raised questions about the ordinance’s enforceability and potential conflicts with Second Amendment rights.

County Council Member Mark Lawson highlighted concerns that the restriction could affect lawful recreational activities. “People shoot clays off a dock that they got. Or there are people who go off into the water and shot clays from their boat,” Lawson said. “So this might be overreach in what we are doing. But again it is all about safety with those neighborhoods.”

Thomas Reitz, another council member, stressed the need for a workable enforcement mechanism. “Heck, we all want to protect people and everything,” Reitz said. But if we have the enforcement people here saying it’s not enforceable, please do something that makes it enforceable.”