It was a setback for those in favor of a bill lifting the tattoo ban, which has been debated and killed in the General Assembly for a decade.

Sen. William Mescher, R-Pinopolis, has introduced the same bill each legislative session for the last eight or so years. Each time, the bill has been approved by the Senate, as it was again last month, only to be stopped in the House by a group of staunch conservatives led by Rep. John M. "Jake" Knotts, R-West Columbia.

Knotts, now a member of the Senate, apparently had a change of heart in recent months and did not oppose the bill when it was re-introduced in January. He did, however, add an amendment to the bill that would limit tattoo artists to strictly giving tattoos. The amendment would prohibit tattoo artists from selling retail goods or engaging in body piercing.

Under the proposed bill, tattoo artists also would be required to meet state health standards, including CPR and blood-borne pathology certification and maintain a license to practice in this state. The state Department of Health and Environmental Control will train and regulate tattoo artists and can revoke licenses for violations.

Opponents of the bill said they were concerned it doesn't do enough to address concerns about zoning for tattoo parlors.

The state's ban on tattooing has been on the books since the 1960s but began garnering national attention in 1998 when Florence tattoo artist Ron White became the first tattooist in the state to be arrested for violating the ban.

After he was convicted of the offense and sentenced to probation, White and a group of his colleagues continued their efforts to have tattooing legalized in South Carolina, taking their case to the state Supreme Court and then on to the U.S. Supreme Court.

White said he was disappointed to hear the bill had once again been stopped in the House and said he doesn't believe the opposition is based on safety or zoning.

"It's all about we don't want your kind here, because you don't look like us," White said this week in a phone interview with the Morning News. "Not one of those who opposes this bill has done so with the issue of safety in mind. It's no longer an issue of safety or freedom. It's an issue of prejudice, and our elected officials are very, very prejudiced people."

White has a lawsuit against S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster and the state pending in federal court. John Black and D.J. Minor, a pair of tattoo artists who are South Carolina natives but have been forced to take their art elsewhere, have filed a similar lawsuit against the state in federal court

White said if the bill fails in the legislature, he'll continue the battle to legalize tattooing in court.

"The federal lawsuit seems to be the way the state wants to go with this," White said. "And if that's the case, we'll do what we have to do."

- The Associated Press contributed to this report.