On Target: Citizens Take Permitting Class

LEXINGTON — A week after Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright made national news saying all women should carry concealed weapons to ward off attacks, eight women took part in the regularly scheduled concealed weapons permit class Sunday at Defender Shooting Sports. 

But not because of Wright's message — which he reiterated today for all citizens after the shooting and injury of a deputy in his county. The 20 people in Sunday's class were mostly unaware of the Upstate sheriff's plea. 

They were there for a unanimous and singular purpose: defense. 

"I came here to be certified, so I can be protected," Amanda Debardelabeen of Columbia said. "It's always good to have protection legally."

Debardelabeen said she has a young daughter at home, and she wanted to add a gun to her self-defense arsenal, which already includes pepper spray and a taser. 

"You can never be too prepared," she said. "A bad person would own a gun, so you'd need that same amount of force."

It's an argument that is common among gun owners: criminals will obtain a weapon illegally despite restrictions, so why not empower the citizens to defend themselves? 

Debardelabeen grew up with guns, but as of Sunday, isn't a gun owner at the moment. 

Another woman in the class, who said she was a grandmother, said that while she has only fired a weapon once or twice before, she also felt she needed a gun for protection.  

Ray Hill, a retired Lexington County Sheriff deputy with 24 years of service and now owner of Defender Shooting Sports, taught Sunday's class, which is one of many held throughout the year and the state by certified instructors. 

"Law enforcement officers like people who carry guns legally," Hill said. "Your firearm is lifesaving equipment."

Hill cited several incidents where either a concealed weapon permit holder aided an officer or ended a violent crime before the arrival of officers, up to 7 minutes later. 

Of the more than 3,000 students who have taken a class taught by Hill, only two have been involved in shootings, Hill said. Both were cleared of any wrongdoing. Though one of the incidents proved controversial when a man shot a would-be thief, armed with only a flashlight, earlier this year in West Columbia.

The permit class, required by S.C. Law Enforcement Division and the only legal way for citizens to carry weapons in the state, covers much of the law and some handling of handguns. 

"This is the very basics, the very minimum," Hill said of the permitting class, which welcomes students regardless of skill level. Some aren't even gun owners walking into the class. 

To pass the class, each student must make at least a 70 percent on his or her written test, which is standardized by SLED, and hit at least 35 of 50 bullets fired on the silhouetted target. It takes 90 days for a citizen to get his or her permit after passing the class.

The written exam tests students on their knowledge of S.C. law and the right to defend oneself. For a person to rightfully claim self defense, three criteria must be met:

• The person is not participating in any unlawful behavior. Unlawful behavior includes carrying a weapon without a permit. Hill debunked the myth that unlawful gun carrying means the person can be "tried by a jury of 12 rather than carried by six," especially since getting a permit means he or she would be law-abiding and carrying the weapon.
• The person is in a place he or she has a right to be, such as his or her property, property invited on to, and his or her place of business. However, S.C. law prohibits concealed weapons inside government administrative buildings, law enforcement buildings, schools, bars and more. 
• The action was necessary to prevent the death of the person or another. Self defense and justified deadly force cannot be used in defense of property, Hill said.

Another three criteria must be met for use of deadly force, according to S.C. legislation:

• The person is without fault. According to Hill, a person cannot claim self defense if he or she is engaged in "mutual combat" or instigated the fight. The person must demonstrate that he or she didn't start the fight and didn't wish to continue the fight, Hill said.
• A reasonable person would perceive a mortal threat. Hill said this law is particularly of use for women, since many times male attackers outweigh and out-strong females.
• The use of force would be justified by a reasonable person. Hill culminated this point by drawing a weapon and asking students if they would feel threatened if he pointed it at them. Most nodded, but Hill revealed that the gun was only a toy. He said their actions would be justified if an attacker pulled the toy since a reasonable person has no way of determining if the weapon was real or fake. 

Some students may just want the permit, but don't want to carry the weapon. But Hill said that a permit and gun won't help citizens in a dimly lit parking lot if it's sitting in a lockbox at home. 

"If you're going to go through all this trouble and all this expense, carry your gun," Hill said. "You're wasting your time and your money." 

And once a person has a permit, he or she may want to get a new wardrobe to help hide the curves of the concealed weapon.

"It's a lifestyle change. It's a change in the way you think, it's a change in the way you dress, and it's a change in the way you do things," Hill said.

And if the person doesn't want an excuse to go out shopping, he or she can always invest in a conceal-carry purse or bag, Hill added, joking that he carries a "man purse."

"Ladies have had this great secret," he said. 

For more information on gun laws in the state, see SLED's website.

Editor's note: Lindsay Street is a gun owner and participated in the permitting class.