Politics & Government

Gov. Nikki Haley Will Sign the 'Boland Bill' Gun Legislation

Measure had bi-partisan support.

Rob Godfrey, the spokesman for Gov. Nikki Haley, told Patch on Thursday that she will sign the so-called "Boland Bill" that came out of the legislature.

The bill was borne out of an incident at Charleston's Ashley Hall School in February when Alice Boland pointed a gun a school officials. The gun did not go off. It was later learned that Boland had been adjudicated as mentally ill and had threatened to kill George W. Bush.

The legislation received bi-partisan support in both chambers. It passed the House 87-0 (with 34 members not voting) and the Senate 35-6. The only six votes against the bill were by Republicans: Lee Bright, Kevin Bryant, Tom Corbin, Larry Grooms, Shane Martin and Danny Verdin.

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Attorney General Alan Wilson was an early supporter of the bill. A similar bill, sponsored by Lindsey Graham, did not pass the US Senate last month.

Wilson released the following statement upon passage:

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Eighty seven days after a near tragedy at Ashley Hall School in Charleston, the General Assembly passed one of the year's most important pieces of legislation. The ‘Ashley Hall Bill' keeps South Carolinians safe by preventing those who have been court adjudicated mentally ill from purchasing firearms, while also protecting the constitutional rights of lawful gun owners.

February 4th's disturbing incident outside Ashley Hall School came dangerously close to becoming another Virginia Tech massacre. The incident was a wake-up call for our state and demonstrated the need for mental health reporting in South Carolina.

This bill in no way infringes on the rights of law-abiding South Carolinians like myself who legally own guns. It simply ensures that people who are not lawfully allowed to carry a gun cannot get one. It also enables those who have recovered from their mental illness and are no longer a danger to themselves or their community to fully regain their Second Amendment rights.

An important civics lesson can be learned from this bill and how Ashley Hall parents such as Anna Murray and many others who set an example for citizens can effectively come together to make our state a safer place to live, work, and raise a family.

I look forward to Governor Haley signing this bill into law, and I commend legislative leaders such as Rick Quinn, Eddie Tallon, Leon Stavrinakis, Greg Gregory, Larry Martin, Paul Thurmond, and the entire General Assembly for quickly responding to this matter and working with the Attorney General's office, the Lieutenant Governor, the House Speaker, SLED, NRA, Probate Courts, Sheriffs, Solicitors, Police Chiefs, Court Administration, and Ashley Hall parents to accomplish this legislation.

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