New bill aims to keep gun owners' information private
Columbia S.C. (WSPA) – A bill in the House aims to keep gun owner's information private. This new bill would limit banks from having what some supporters call 'financial surveillance.'
19 states have passed a bill called the Second Amendment Financial Privacy Act. It would ban banks from tracking purchases of firearms and ammunition.
'Make sure that gun owners have their rights or fully stored and that, retailers also aren't being punished, or that credit card companies aren't offering incentives to flag these kinds of purchases,' said Representative Case Brittain (R – Horry).
Supporters of the bill said they are worried banks could interfere because of their ability to keep track of gun purchases.
'It prevents Government entities that aren't doing the regular course of business and recordkeeping and criminal logs, ones that are already in existence, from creating their own list. It protects the data for the individual gun owners' rights,' Brittain added.
Neil Rashley, General Counsel for South Carolina Bankers Association, said that his office is not in opposition, but is worried about the wording of the bill.
'I'm concerned because it creates a cause of action on our industry should this occur. However, we do feel fairly confident that at least banks are not doing this in the state or really anywhere right now. And right now, the card networks aren't.'
Representative Jason Luck (D – Chesterfield) showed concern about the section which said 'The Attorney General shall investigate reasonable allegations.'
Luck added, 'does that language give you any concern in terms of vagueness or mandatory investigation?'
Rashley added, 'No, sir, I mean, we're very accustomed to similar language, and, with the Attorney General's Office and how they assess looking into allegations.'
As it stands, the language in the bill did not change and the Attorney General's Office would be in charge of investigating violations of the bill.
California has adopted the opposite language where credit card companies are required to track firearm purchases.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
Here's who has filed to run for Spartanburg County Sheriff: List
SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) — The filing period for the special election to fill the seat of Spartanburg County Sheriff opened Friday. Five candidates have filed paperwork with South Carolina Election Commission, all of whom have filed as Republicans in the August 5 primary. Sheriff salaries in the Upstate: Where does your county rank? Candidates running in the special election had to pay a filing fee of about $3,000, which is prorated because of the partial term. Candidates are listed below in alphabetical order. In his letter announcing his bid for the seat of sheriff, Clark said he wants to help citizens, residents and visitors throughout Spartanburg County. Clark started his career with the Spartanburg Police Department in March 2002, serving as a senior patrol officer and a field patrol officer. In October 2005, Clark began working with the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office, working as a property crimes investigator, a software systems administrator and records supervisor. 'I have the experience and knowledge to lead the sheriff's office and continue its mission to provide services to citizens that meet or exceed professional law enforcement standards, ensuring equal enforcement, and protection of the law without prejudice,' Clark said. Clevenger, who has served as coroner since 2009, announced his candidacy for Spartanburg County Sheriff on Monday. 'I have dedicated my adult life to serving the people of Spartanburg County with transparency, compassion, and professionalism.' said Clevenger in a news release. 'The brave men and women of the Spartanburg Sheriff's Office deserve a leader who protects their integrity and shields them from politics so they can focus on protecting our community.' Clevenger said his campaign for sheriff will focus on restoring trust in law enforcement, increasing transparency, supporting deputies and ensuring public safety is 'free from political agendas.' Nick Duncan, a Laurens County native, worked as a paramedic with Spartanburg County EMS before he joined the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office in 2014. He announced a run for sheriff in March 2024, but lost the primary election in June. Duncan previously said that, if elected, he would focus on drug issues impacting the county as well as working on community relations and transparency in the office. Duncan encouraged voters to decide what they want from their elected leaders. 'Just look at everybody, figure out what you want from your elected officials, and what beliefs most align with yours and make a good, educated decision.' Duncan said. Bill Rhyne announced his bid for the seat of sheriff on June 3. A northern Spartanburg County native, Rhyne joined the U.S. Marine Corps after graduating from Chapman High School. He worked for the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office as a resident deputy and then for the South Carolina Highway Patrol in the Upstate as a public information officer and community relations officer. Rhyne retired as lieutenant and executive commander. After retirement, he became the director of training for American Services. He also was able to return to SCHP as a community outreach coordinator. 'This campaign isn't about politics. It's about people,' Rhyne said. 'It's about making sure our communities are safe, heard, and respected. It's about being present, well-reasoned in our actions, and building a sheriff's office that truly serves every corner of Spartanburg County.' Richard 'Ric' Stephens served in the Army National Guard from 1982-1992, according to his website. Later, Stephens worked for the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office from 1996-2002 in various positions. He retired from work in law enforcement in 2015. 'In doing this, I learned the complexity of the sheriff's office and how extremely important it is for you as an employee to understand and use all the county resources allocated,' Stephens said. In an interview with 7NEWS, Stephens explained that his bid for sheriff is personal, after losing a family member was killed by a drug dealer in Spartanburg County. 'The sheriff's office has a dedicated professional workforce, with my leadership we will focus on issues that affect the taxpayers the most (traffic, drugs, and crime) I will give immediate results,' he added. The primary will be held on August 5 while the special election is set to be held on November 4, which is the date of the 2025 general election. Early voting for the primary will be held from July 21 through August 1 while early voting for the special election will run from October 20 through October 31. A primary runoff would be held on August 19, if necessary, with early voting from August 13 to August 15. Full schedule for special election: June 13 – Candidate filing opens June 21 – Candidate filing closes July 21 – Early primary voting begins August 1 – Early primary voting ends August 5 – Primary election August 13 – Primary runoff early voting begins (if necessary) August 15 – Primary runoff early voting ends (if necessary) August 19 – Primary runoff election October 20 – Special election early voting begins October 31 – Special election early voting ends November 4 – Special Election Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Contractor woes: Upstate couple warns don't fall victim
(WSPA) – We get a lot of complaints from homeowners who hire contractors and pay thousands upfront only to have the job go unfinished. One Anderson County couple said they didn't realize the contractor they hired had a lengthy history of issues until it was too late, and they are sharing their story so you don't fall into the same situation, with him, or anyone doing work on your home. For the last two years, Jeremy Bass has been consumed by a desire to save others from the financial and emotional hardship he says he's come to know. 'What we want is for other folks to be warned and for this to stop,' Bass said. In 2022, Bass signed a contract with 180 Handyman Solutions in Pickens County to do a 3-part renovation to their home. He and his wife, Ginger, said they felt comfortable paying thousands upfront to owner Timothy Porter because he talked about being a minister at a church nearby. 'He presented himself as a man of faith, and just instantly had a great rapport with him,' Jeremy said. Porter had, in fact, completed an $8,000 job in their crawl space with no issues, so when it came time to work on the kitchen, the Basses paid Porter $13,500 as a down payment. But months before any work began, Ginger lost her job, and they had to scale back the $32,500 kitchen renovation budget. Bass showed 7NEWS the interior wall still standing, though the written contract included its removal. Unfortunately, though Jeremy said he asked for it, he never got a revised contract with the much lower price. He said they took it on faith when Porter agreed verbally to a much smaller job for the original down payment and brushed off the need for a full contract revision, an oversight Bass strongly regrets. 'I wish I had never talked to him ever in my life,' Jeremy said. When the kitchen was done, Jeremy said Porter told him he had gone over by $4,000 and they agreed to pay the extra cost. But here's where things get tricky. At the same time, they paid upfront for the final project, a bathroom renovation for $16,000. So, the total in one check was $20,000 (for the kitchen overage plus the down payment on the next project). Jeremy showed us Porter's new estimate, plus the cancelled check. 'Foolishly, I paid him in advance for that. And on here I even put in the memo line, bath, bed remodel,' Jeremy said. The '180' for Bass came when Porter sent a receipt claiming that the check was for the kitchen only. 'I was appalled and shocked and felt duped,' Ginger said. After two years in the court system, a judge ruled last month that Porter owes Bass the $16,000. But Bass is skeptical he'll get that money back after doing a Public Index search and discovering a history of cases against Porter. 7NEWS reached out to South Carolina Labor Licensing and Regulation and learned Porter's residential contractor license was revoked in 2011 after many of those judgments found him guilty of taking money and not completing the job. Porter declined an on-camera interview, but in a brief phone call where we explained we were recording, we asked him about the license number that appears atop all 4 of the documents he gave to Bass with his letterhead. At first, he said, 'I don't know what you're talking about.' We read out the number of the license to him, '8723744,' to which he replied, 'I had a stroke 6 years ago and it affected my memory and I really, honestly, Diane I don't know what you're talking about.' We asked him if he was deliberately trying to mislead his clients and he said, 'I would have not put nothing on the document to make my customers believe I had a license. If my customers asked me am I licensed, I would tell them no I'm not.' He then declined to answer any further questions. His attorney, Monte Chasteen, did not respond to our questions about the license, but said the Basses won by default because his client had failed to respond to a court summons before hiring him. He called the case 'a misunderstanding between the parties as to what the terms of an agreement were,' and stressed that the judge did not award further damages. Attorney Jay Anthony, who represents Bass, said while most of the cases on Public Index against the contractor date back a decade, he has spoken to more current clients of Porter who have similar stories but can't afford a lawyer. 'We did feel there was a pattern there not only in terms of not doing work that he was paid to do, but also in terms of doing work that he wasn't licensed to do,' Anthony said. To verify a contractor in S.C. has a license, click here. The Public Index also showed another pattern of note. Porter appears to have changed company names over time from 'Priority Services,' to 'Horizon Mechanical,' to 'Timsco' to '180 Handyman Solutions.' And now, 7NEWS has learned, his latest company, Fieldstone Solutions, which retrofits sheds into tiny homes, has run into its own issues. An attorney with Kentucky-based Stor-Mor told 7NEWS it terminated Fieldstone as a dealer last year because, quote, 'we received customer complaints that Fieldstone Solutions was taking deposits to convert our sheds into a 'tiny home' and then failing to promptly perform that work.' Pickens County Building and Codes confirmed he does not have the license needed from the state to do the tiny home work as required by law. The Basses urge you to do the homework before hiring a contractor. Verify their license with LLR Check to see they're bonded and insured Keep an updated contract And in the least, read Google reviews 'I don't want anybody else to go through this,' Mrs. Bass said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Anderson hosts Hurricane Helene town hall meeting
ANDERSON, S.C. (WSPA) – State officials will host a town hall in Anderson, on Tuesday, June 10, to gather input on the $150 million Hurricane Helene recovery plan. The plan aims to help South Carolina communities recover from the effects. From 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Westside Community Center in Anderson, the South Carolina office of Resilience (SCOR) will present their plan that outlines how the state intends to use $150.3 million in federal disaster relief funds awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The funds from HUD come from the community development block grant. It provides flexible grants for long-term recovery in communities affected by presidentially declared disasters, like Hurricane Helene. According to the draft plan, funds can be used to fix or rebuild single-family homes and/or affordable rental housing, to buy property from willing owners and support projects that reduce damage from future disasters. Tuesday night, residents from any county in South Carolina, will be able to speak with SCOR's Disaster Case Management team members (DCM) who are able to assist with ongoing financial, physical, or emotional needs that stem from Hurricane Helene. All spoken and written input from the meeting will be summarized and added to the final action plan. Those unable to attend the meeting can contact the team directly via the statewide hotline at 803-898-2511. Members of the public may review the draft action plan and submit comments in advance at Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
