By JEFFREY COLLINS Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) â South Carolina senators approved a bill Thursday allowing people with concealed weapons permits to carry their guns in the open. The Senate voted 28-16 on Thursday on the so-called open carry bill after about a dozen hours of debate spanning three days. The vote allowed Republican senators to bookend a pair of legislative wins during the 2021 session that conservatives have been unable to obtain for years â a bill outlawing nearly all abortions was finally passed by the Senate in January. It became law in February but isn't being enforced because of a lawsuit.