Council Moves Discharge‑of‑Firearms Ordinance to Third Reading After Public Appeals for Safety

Charleston County Council voted to move forward an ordinance that would add a new section prohibiting careless or negligent discharge of firearms in certain unincorporated areas. Council moved the ordinance to third reading after a committee motion and public testimony urging passage.

The ordinance, as read to council, would add Section 14.5‑2 to the county code to make careless or negligent discharge unlawful in specified unincorporated areas, provide penalties for violations and outline exceptions and limitations; the text was allowed to be amended through third reading, staff said when the item was introduced.

Several residents urged council to adopt the ordinance quickly. "I come to you before you today begging you to vote to pass the discharge of firearms in urban unincorporated Charleston County," one speaker from Marsh Oaks Drive said, noting fears of stray bullets near homes, churches and schools and asking council to give law enforcement stronger tools beyond a noise ordinance. Supporters described the measure as a targeted public‑safety tool rather than a ban on lawful firearm ownership.

Council complied with a committee recommendation to advance the measure; the transcript shows the motion was properly moved and seconded and the item was advanced to third reading. No final adoption vote is recorded in the provided excerpt.

Why it matters: Supporters said the ordinance would give law enforcement clearer authority to respond to reckless firearms discharges in populated unincorporated areas, which residents say create danger to children and neighborhoods. The item will return to council for further consideration and possible amendment at third reading.