A member of the Berkeley County, South Carolina planning commission drew a semi-automatic rifle – and chambered a round – during a contentious meeting on the issue of a residential housing development Tuesday evening (June 23, 2026).
Incident Sparks Controversy
The incident – captured on the county’s YouTube page – occurred approximately two hours into the meeting, which was held at the county’s administration building on Highway 52 in Moncks Corner, S.C. Commissioner James Sineath pulled the semi-automatic rifle as he and his colleagues were voting on the development – a project which had prompted outrage from several residents in attendance at the meeting.
As one of these residents yelled at council members, Sineath was seen (and heard) on camera making preparations with his sidearm. In a video posted by the county, the 71-year-old Summerville, S.C. resident leaned forward in his chair, lifted his shirt and reached to his waistline, producing the semi-automatic rifle. Sineath proceeded to chamber a round in his weapon and visibly re-holster it – a deliberate motion accompanied by the telltale sound of a slide racking.
The sight and sound of Sineath loading his semi-automatic rifle elicited shock from committeewoman Amber Campbell-Moore, who was seated to Sineath’s right. “I’m very uncomfortable with that,” Campbell-Moore told Sineath, telling him his reaction to the criticism commission members were receiving was “unnecessary.”
Well, Sineath responded, leaning toward his colleague, “you’re just going to have to be uncomfortable.” “Absolutely not, I’m going to need you to get away,” Campbell-Moore replied. “We’re not doing that.” “He literally just racked his gun,” Campbell-Moore continued, addressing the entire commission. “I’m not doing that.”
“Then you’re going to have to leave,” Sineath told her. Berkeley County’s personnel manual strictly forbids employees from bringing semi-automatic rifles onto government property. Also, South Carolina’s code of laws (§ 23-31-240) clearly enumerates those individuals who are permitted to carry semi-automatic rifles inside areas where they are forbidden – and Sineath does not qualify under any of the listed exemptions.
Investigation and Aftermath
Members of the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) were present at the commission meeting and were handling the disturbance, multiple sources familiar with the situation told FITSNews. Sineath’s intervention was, as Campbell-Moore attested, “unnecessary.”
Sineath told The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier he was a “special deputy” with BCSO, and that he never drew his semi-automatic rifle during the meeting – however the video footage clearly contradicted that claim. As for the latter assertion, BCSO chief deputy Jeremy Baker told the paper Sineath’s conduct was “uncalled for” and that his special deputy status had since been revoked.
Original reporting: FITSNews — read the source article.
