S41 - Guarantee 2nd Amendment Freedom and Protections. (SL 2023-8)

Overview: S.L. 2023-8 does the following:

• Authorizes an individual who has a valid concealed handgun permit, or who is exempt from obtaining that permit, to carry a handgun in a place of religious worship that is also educational property if:
  • The property is not owned by a local board of education or county commission.
  • The property is not a public or private institution of higher education.
  • The property is not posted with a notice prohibiting carrying a concealed handgun on the premises.
  • The handgun is only possessed and carried on the property outside of school operating hours.
• Authorizes concealed carry for certain law enforcement facility employees.
• Repeals the requirement to obtain a pistol purchase permit from the sheriff prior to the purchase or transfer of a pistol.
• Creates a statewide firearm safe storage awareness initiative to educate the public about safe firearm storage, to facilitate the distribution of gun locks, and to provide local communities with a toolkit to launch local firearm safe storage initiatives.

This bill was vetoed by the Governor on March 24, 2023, and that veto was overridden by the General Assembly on March 29, 2023. This act has various effective dates. Please see the full summary for more details.