When the Legislature decided pretty much anyone could carry a gun pretty much anywhere, some people panicked.
They worried thousands of wannabe gunslingers would be walking around South Carolina streets and shops strapped like extras in a Western ... which seldom ends without someone shot in the street.
Mind you, all that's a bit of a misnomer. Towns in the Old West regulated guns a lot more than many states do these days.
So, all those John Wayne flicks were romanticized baloney? Mostly. Well, maybe not "The Searchers." Classic.
One of the concerns was that shooting a gun is one thing; safely carrying it is quite another. How many stories have we heard about knuckleheads accidentally dropping their piece, injuring bystanders -- or, most often, themselves -- in the process?
That's why it's encouraging to see, as The Post and Courier's Caitlin Byrd reports, that folks are flocking to the State Law Enforcement Division's free gun safety classes.
These courses are funded through a provision in the "constitutional carry" law, and mandate that every county has to hold at least two free gun safety classes a month so people can learn how to more conscientiously and responsibly carry those firearms lawmakers turned them loose with.
The classes are quite popular, it turns out. Since they began in October, SLED has had thousands sign up.
That's great, because there's absolutely nothing wrong with owning a gun (worshipping guns is a different matter). Guns are great for sport or self-defense. I own a few, and have for decades, but plan to sign up for one of the SLED classes.
Because everyone could use a refresher, if not on the basics of shooting, at least an accurate reminder of safety protocols and what South Carolina law actually entails.
That's especially true because laws change, and many people didn't grow up around guns or have family to take them shooting ... or teach them how not to shoot themselves or somebody.
Now, these classes include little actual range time. They mostly go over the laws on what you can and cannot legally do with your gun. Many people really don't know.
Fortunately, many new (and old) gun owners realize that. SLED reports that's exactly why many people sign up for the class. And it expects a rush in January and February ... because, you know, guns are a popular Christmas gift.
The safety courses are a brilliant idea, adapted from concealed weapons permit classes, which everyone previously had to take to carry in public. It was perhaps the smartest addition to the new law.
Because everyone needs to understand the fundamentals of self-defense statutes, and many people could obviously use a reminder to LOCK THEIR CARS if that's where they store their guns.
Several South Carolina cities sit near the top of lists where guns are stolen from unlocked cars, and that's not only dumb -- it's literally arming criminals.
The only bad thing about these free SLED gun safety classes is that they might end.
As Byrd reports, it will cost the state about $5 million a year to hold these classes, and some lawmakers are taking a wait-and-see attitude on whether they continue that funding.
They want to see how many people sign up for the classes, and determine whether they are getting -- ahem -- bang for their buck.
Even considering ending these classes, which only started in October, is a really bad idea.
Lawmakers need to ask themselves one question: Do you feel lucky? Well, do you?
All it will take is one testosterone-fueled argument, or some fool shooting himself in the leg while carrying a gun like a baddie in a Sergio Leone film, and we'll be back to debating an end to "constitutional carry." Which is also a misnomer, but that's another column.
Lawmakers need to ask themselves if $5 million, out of a budget of billions, is worth that headache. They should also ask themselves -- seeing as how they are "pro-life" -- how much it's worth if those classes prevent even one tragic accident.
For all their jingoistic, pandering political talk, our legislators know this is serious business. An early paragraph in their "constitutional carry" law mentions their place of business -- the Statehouse -- is one of the few places people can't carry guns.
Understandable, but totally hypocritical. As per usual.
So the Legislature should not even consider canceling SLED's gun safety classes. Fact is, if people are going to carry, it's better that they know what they're doing.
Based on the numbers of people signing up for those classes, a lot of folks understand that -- even if their duly elected representatives don't.