South Carolina has tried secession before. It was the first state to secede from the Union in 1860 in a move that ignited the Civil War. In 1832, state officials threatened secession when the Nullification Convention met over tariff issues.

The recent national debate over gun rights has three House Republicans considering secession again, The State newspaper reported.

Reps. Mike Pitts, Jonathon Hill and Ashley Trantham introduced a bill Thursday that would allow lawmakers to debate seceding from the United States if the federal government confiscates legally purchased firearms in South Carolina, The State reported.

Pitts told The Hill the bill is more of way to shed light on the Second Amendment, rather than on actual secession.

"I see a lot of stuff where people even talk about totally repealing the Second Amendment, which separates us from the entire rest of the world," Pitts said.

The bill has a very slim chance of passage during this legislative session, The State reported, because the deadline for bills to move from one chamber to the other is April 10, The State reported.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Cox Enterprises CEO Alex Taylor and AJC Publisher Andrew Morse were joined by AJC editors and Atlanta business react during the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in Midtown on Friday, January 24, 2025.
(Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Featured

Austin Walters died from an overdose in 2021 after taking a Xanax pill laced with fentanyl, his father said. A new law named after Austin and aimed at preventing deaths from fentanyl has resulted in its first convictions in Georgia, prosecutors said. (Family photo)

Credit: Family photo