South Carolina Concealed Carry Laws & Information

We try to stay as up to date as possible, but always check with local law enforcement to be sure about which states honor your states permit.

The following states have permitless carry. This means that if you can legally possess a firearm in that state you can carry it concealed without a permit/license. You still have to abide by all conceaeled carry laws in that state. Please note that the last three states only allow residents to carry without a permit/license. Alaska, Arizona, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, Vermont, West Virginia, Idaho (Residents Only), North Dakota (Residents Only), Wyoming (Residents Only).

Information compiled from various state government and private sites from around the web.

Reciprocity: How This State Honors Other States Permits & Licenses

South Carolina recognises permits from the following states:

Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho¹, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi³, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota², Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming.

South Carolina Does Not Honor Non-Resident Permits/Licenses. You must be a resident of the state they honor for your permit to be valid in South Carolina.

Idaho¹ - South Carolina will only honor the Idaho Enhanced Permit.

South Dakota² – South Carolina will only honor the South Dakota Enhanced Permit.

Mississippi³ – South Carolina will only honor the Mississippi Enhanced Permit.

23-31-215 (N) Issuance of Permits

(1) Valid out-of-state permits to carry concealable weapons held by a resident of a reciprocal state must be honored by this State, provided, that the reciprocal state requires an applicant to successfully pass a criminal background check and a course in firearm training and safety. A resident of a reciprocal state carrying a concealable weapon in South Carolina is subject to and must abide by the laws of South Carolina regarding concealable weapons. SLED shall maintain and publish a list of those states as the states with which South Carolina has reciprocity.

(2) Notwithstanding the reciprocity requirements of subitem (1), South Carolina shall automatically recognize concealed weapon permits issued by Georgia and North Carolina.

(3) The reciprocity provisions of this section shall not be construed to authorize the holder of any out-of-state permit or license to carry, in this State, any firearm or weapon other than a handgun.

How to Apply for a South Carolina Concealed Carry Permit

For information regarding the recent changes to the concealed weapon permit law, effective February 11, 2014, please click on the following link: CWP Law Summary

Also, for Concealed Weapons Permits, Security Guard, and Private Investigator Questions (803) 896-7015 CWPQuestions@sled.sc.gov

New/Renewal CWP Application Check List

All of the following are listed on the SC application. The application can be downloaded or printed from the SLED Web Site. Renewals can be made online and in the near future New Applicants will be able to apply online. (New Law 1/14) When that becomes available the info will be added here.

Review the instructions carefully before submitting an application:

For questions about the CWP application process, forms, or if you need information on state laws and regulations, please visit here.

Processing time may be up to 90 days. A renewal application should be mailed 90-120 days prior to permit expiration. Last 8/1/16 - SLED processing will took approximately75 days for New Permits and about 65 days for Renewals at this time due to high volume.
Applicants must include a non-refundable payment of $50.00 (certified check, cashier’s check, or money order) made payable to SLED.
Applicants must submit a good quality photocopy of their state issued driver’s license or officially issued identification card.
Resident aliens must provide a copy of their alien card from the Department of Homeland Security.
Qualified nonresident applicants must submit a completed Real Property Tax Form (SLED Form R-168).

The following only apply to NEW permit applications:

Applicants must submit an original completed, signed, and dated application. The CWP instructor must also sign the application.
Applicants must submit two (2) complete, legible sets of fingerprint cards.
Active duty military applicants must submit military orders. Retired or former military applicants must submit a copy of their DD214.
Retired law enforcement officers exempt from paying the fee must submit proof of retirement benefits/pension documentation.
Active/retired South Carolina law enforcement officers exempt from training must submit current legal and firearm training documentation. Out-of-state retired law enforcement officers (or those whose certification has expired) must submit proof of graduation from a federal or state academy that included firearms training as a graduation requirement.
Disabled veterans exempt from paying the fee must submit documentation from the VA indicating disability percentage.
CWP training courses must have been completed within three years of filing the application.
Training date, instructor certification number, and student number must be entered onto the application.
You must submit a signed copy of the SLED CWP Instructor/Student Checklist with your application.

Permit issued after February 11, 2014 will be valid for 5 years.

Please mail all of this information to:

CWP Application,
SLED Data Center,
P.O. Box 21398,
Columbia, S.C. 29221-1398

Take note, it will take approximately ninety (90) days to process a new application.
And it will take approximately thirty (30) days to process for renewal application.

For Training Requirements

23-31-210. (4) "Proof of training" means an original document or certified copy of the document supplied by an applicant that certifies that he is either:

(a) a person who, within three years before filing an application, has successfully completed a basic or advanced handgun education course offered by a state, county, or municipal law enforcement agency or a nationally recognized organization that promotes gun safety. This education course must include, but is not limited to:

(i) information on the statutory and case law of this State relating to handguns and to the use of
deadly force;

(ii) information on handgun use and safety;

(iii) information on the proper storage practice for handguns with an emphasis on storage practices that reduces the possibility of accidental injury to a child; and

(iv) the actual firing of the handgun in the presence of the instructor;

(b) a person who demonstrates any of the following must comply with the provisions of sub item (a)(i) only:

(i) a person who demonstrates the completion of basic military training provided by any branch of the United States military who produces proof of his military service through the submission of a DD214 form;

(ii) a retired law enforcement officer who produces proof that he is a graduate of the Criminal Justice Academy or that he was a law enforcement officer prior to the requirement for graduation from the Criminal Justice Academy; or

(iii) a retired state or federal law enforcement officer who produces proof of graduation from a federal or state academy that includes firearms training as a graduation requirement.

(c) an instructor certified by the National Rifle Association or another SLED approved competent national organization that promotes the safe use of handguns;

(d) a person who can demonstrate to the Director of SLED or his designee that he has a proficiency in both the use of handguns and state laws pertaining to handguns;

(e) an active duty police handgun instructor;

(f) a person who has a SLED certified or approved competitive handgun shooting classification; or

(g) a member of the active or reserve military, or a member of the National Guard.

Please note that, SLED shall promulgate regulations containing general guidelines for courses and qualifications for instructors which would satisfy the requirements of this item. For purposes of sub items (a) and (b), "proof of training" is not satisfied unless the organization and its instructors meet or exceed the guidelines and qualifications contained in the regulations promulgated by SLED pursuant to this item.

How to Obtain A Non-Resident South Carolina Concealed Carry Permit

If you own a property in South Carolina, you can apply for a Non-Resident Permit/License. Non-Residents must fill out this form and have the assessor sign it to show you own property. Then follow the Application process as spelled out in the Resident Permit Section.

If you are Military stationed in South Carolina you can apply. Check Resident section above for details.

To renew your Concealed Carry Permit, see Resident Permit Section.

Places You Can Not Carry Even With an South Carolina Concealed Carry Permit

23-31-215 (M). A permit issued pursuant to this section does not authorize a permit holder to carry a concealable weapon into a:

(1) law enforcement, correctional, or detention facility;
(2) courthouse or courtroom;
(3) polling place on election days;
(4) office of or the business meeting of the governing body of a county, public school district, municipality, or special purpose district;
(5) school or college athletic event not related to firearms;
(6) day care facility or pre-school facility;
(7) place where the carrying of firearms is prohibited by federal law;
(8) church or other established religious sanctuary unless express permission is given by the appropriate church official or governing body;
(9) hospital, medical clinic, doctor's office, or any other facility where medical services or procedures are performed unless expressly authorized by the employer; or
(10) place clearly marked with a sign prohibiting the carrying of a concealable weapon on the premises pursuant to Sections 23-31-220 and 23-31-235. Except that a property owner or an agent acting on his behalf, by express written consent, may allow individuals of his choosing to enter onto property regardless of any posted sign to the contrary. A person who violates a provision of this item, whether
the violation is willful or not, may only be charged with a violation of Section 16-11-620 and must not be charged with or penalized for a violation of this subsection.

Except as provided for in item (10), a person who willfully violates a provision of this subsection is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not less than one thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than one year, or both, at the discretion of the court and have his permit revoked for five years.

23-31-210. Definitions as Used in This Article

(5)"Concealable weapon" means a firearm having a length of less than twelve inches measured along its greatest dimension that must be carried in a manner that is hidden from public view in normal wear of clothing except when needed for self-defense, defense of others, and the protection of real or personal property.”

16-23-420. (A) It is unlawful for a person to possess a firearm of any kind on any premises or property owned, operated, or controlled by a private or public school, college, university, technical college, other post-secondary institution, or in any publicly-owned building, without the express permission of the authorities in charge of the premises or property. The provisions of this subsection related to any premises or property owned, operated, or controlled by a private or public school, college, university, technical college, or other post-secondary institution, do not apply to a person who is authorized to carry a concealed weapon pursuant to Article 4, Chapter 31, Title 23 when the weapon remains inside an attended or locked motor vehicle and is secured in a closed glove compartment, closed console, closed trunk, or in a closed container secured by an integral fastener and transported in the luggage compartment of the vehicle."

23-31-225. Carrying Concealed Weapons Into Residences or Dwellings

No person who holds a permit issued pursuant to Article 4, Chapter 31, Title 23 may carry a concealable weapon into the residence or dwelling place of another person without the express permission of the owner or person in legal control or possession, as appropriate. A person who violates this provision is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not less than one thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both, at the discretion of the court and have his permit revoked for five years.

The "Offenses Involving Weapons" Chapter (16-23) of SC Code adds other restrictions applicable to CWP holders as well:
Into "any publicly-owned building, without the express permission of the authorities in charge of the premises or property" (Section 16-23-420(a)).

Public/Charter Buses off Limits

58-23-1820. Definitions

For purposes of this article:

(a) "passenger" means any individual served by a public transportation provider including charter bus activities;

(b) "bus" means any passenger bus or other motor vehicle having a seating capacity of not less than ten passengers operated by a public transportation provider for the purpose of carrying passengers, including charter passengers;

(d) "public transportation provider" means any operator who offers or delivers public transportation;

(e) "public transportation vehicle" means any configuration of equipment for the purpose of providing public transportation.

58-23-1830. General Prohibitions; Persons Who May Be Refused Transportation; Violations and
Penalties

(a) It is unlawful for any passenger to commit any of the following acts in a bus or any other public transportation vehicle:

(3) carry or possess any weapon, explosives, acids, other dangerous articles, or live animals, except for a seeing eye dog or a hearing ear dog properly harnessed and accompanied by its owner, small animals properly packaged, or weapons carried by or animals used by a law enforcement official;

(d) Any person violating the provisions of subsection (a) of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction for a first offense must be imprisoned for not more than thirty days or fined not more than two hundred dollars, for a second offense, imprisoned for not more than sixty days or fined not more than five hundred dollars, or both, and for a third or subsequent offense, imprisoned for not more than ninety days or fined not more than one thousand dollars, or both.

“No Gun Signs” Have the Force of Law

23-31-235. Sign Requirements

(A) Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, any requirement of or allowance for the posting of signs prohibiting the carrying of a concealable weapon upon any premises shall only be satisfied by a sign expressing the prohibition in both written language interdict and universal sign language.

(B) All signs must be posted at each entrance into a building where a concealable weapon permit holder is prohibited from carrying a concealable weapon and must be:

(1) clearly visible from outside the building;
(2) eight inches wide by twelve inches tall in size;
(3) contain the words "No Concealable Weapons Allowed" in black one-inch tall uppercase type at the bottom of the sign and centered between the lateral edges of the sign;
(4) contain a black silhouette of a handgun inside a circle seven inches in diameter with a diagonal line that runs from the lower left to the upper right at a forty-five degree angle from the horizontal;
(5) a diameter of a circle; and
(6) placed not less than forty inches and not more than sixty inches from the bottom of the building's entrance door.

(C) If the premises where concealable weapons are prohibited does not have doors, then the signs contained in subsection (A) must be:

(1) thirty-six inches wide by forty-eight inches tall in size;
(2) contain the words "No Concealable Weapons Allowed" in black three- inch tall uppercase type at the bottom of the sign and centered between the lateral edges of the sign;
(3) contain a black silhouette of a handgun inside a circle thirty-four inches in diameter with a diagonal line that is two inches wide and runs from the lower left to the upper right at a forty-five degree angle from the horizontal and must be a diameter of a circle whose circumference is two inches wide;
(4) placed not less than forty inches and not more than ninety-six inches above the ground;
(5) posted in sufficient quantities to be clearly visible from any point of entry onto the premises.ed not less than forty inches and not more than sixty inches from the bottom of the building's entrance door.

Must Inform the Officer Immediately on Contact By Law

23-31-215. Issuance of Permits

(K) A permit holder must have his permit identification card in his possession whenever he carries a concealable weapon. When carrying a concealable weapon pursuant to Article 4 of Chapter 31 of Title 23, a permit holder must inform a law enforcement officer of the fact that he is a permit holder and present the permit identification card when an officer (1) identifies himself as a law enforcement officer and (2) requests identification or a driver’s license from a permit holder. A permit holder immediately must report the loss or theft of a permit identification card to SLED headquarters. A person who violates the provisions of this subsection is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined twenty five dollars.

Carry In State Parks//WMA/Road Side Rest Areas & St. /Nat. Forests

Carry is Allowed in these Areas:

State Parks: YES; 51-3-145. (G)
State/National Forests: YES; 51-3-145. (G)
State WMA’s: YES; 123-203 (B)
Road Side Rest Areas: YES; 16-23-420 (F)

RV/Car Carry Without a South Carolina Concealed Carry Permit

In South Carolina, anyone who can legally own a firearm can carry it loaded if contained in a closed Glove Box, Console, Trunk or a vehicle without a trunk in the Luggage Area in a container secured with fasteners. Their law is very specific on the only locations where it can be carried.

16-23-10. Definitions

When used in this article:

(1) “Handgun” means any firearm designed to expel a projectile and designed to be fired from the hand, but shall not include any firearm generally recognized or classified as an antique, curiosity, or collector’s item, or any that does not fire fixed cartridges.

(10) “Luggage compartment” means the trunk of a motor vehicle which has a trunk; however, with respect to a motor vehicle which does not have a trunk, the term “luggage compartment” refers to the area of the motor vehicle in which the manufacturer designed that luggage be carried or to the area of the motor vehicle in which luggage is customarily carried. In a station wagon, van, hatchback vehicle, truck, or sport utility vehicle, the term “luggage compartment” refers to the area behind the rearmost seat.

16-23-20. Unlawful Carrying of Handgun; Exceptions

It is unlawful for anyone to carry about the person any handgun, whether concealed or not, except as follows, unless otherwise specifically prohibited by law:

(1) Regular, salaried law enforcement officers, and reserve police officers of a state agency, municipality, or county of the State, uncompensated Governor’s constables, law enforcement officers of the federal government or other states when they are carrying out official duties while in this State, deputy enforcement officers of the Natural Resources Enforcement Division of the Department of Natural Resources, and retired commissioned law enforcement officers employed as private detectives or private investigators;

(2) Members of the Armed Forces of the United States, the National Guard, organized reserves, or the State Militia when on duty;

(3) Members, or their invited guests, of organizations authorized by law to purchase or receive firearms from the United States or this State or regularly enrolled members, or their invited guests, of clubs organized for the purpose of target shooting or collecting modern and antique firearms while these members, or their invited guests, are at or going to or from their places of target practice or their shows and exhibits;

(4) Licensed hunters or fishermen who are engaged in hunting or fishing or going to or from their places of hunting or fishing while in a vehicle or on foot;

(5) A person regularly engaged in the business of manufacturing, repairing, repossessing, or dealing in firearms, or the agent or representative of this person, while possessing, using, or carrying a handgun in the usual or ordinary course of the business;

(6) Guards authorized by law to possess handguns and engaged in protection of property of the United States or any agency of the United States;

(7) Members of authorized military or civil organizations while parading or when going to and from the places of meeting of their respective organizations;

(8) A person in his home or upon his real property or a person who has the permission of the owner or the person in legal possession or the person in legal control of the home or real property;

(9) A person in a vehicle if the handgun is:

(a) Secured in a closed glove compartment, closed console, closed trunk, or in a closed container secured by an integral fastener and transported in the luggage compartment of the vehicle; however, this item is not violated if the glove compartment, console, or trunk is opened in the presence of a law enforcement officer for the sole purpose of retrieving a driver’s license, registration, or proof of insurance; If the person has been issued a concealed weapons permit pursuant to Article 4, Chapter 31, Title 23, then the person also may secure his weapon under a seat in a vehicle, or in any open or closed storage compartment within the vehicle’s passenger compartment; or”

(b) Concealed on or about his person, and he has a valid concealed weapons permit pursuant to the provisions of Article 4, Chapter 31, Title 23;

(10) A person carrying a handgun unloaded and in a secure wrapper from the place of purchase to his home or fixed place of business or while in the process of changing or moving one’s residence or changing or moving one’s fixed place of business;

(11) A prison guard while engaged in his official duties;

(12) A person who is granted a permit under provision of law by the State Law Enforcement Division to carry a handgun about his person, under conditions set forth in the permit, and while transferring the handgun between the permittee’s person and a location specified in item (9);

(13) The owner or the person in legal possession or the person in legal control of a fixed place of business, while at the fixed place of business, and the employee of a fixed place of business, other than a business subject to Section 16-23-465, while at the place of business; however, the employee may exercise this privilege only after: (a) acquiring a permit pursuant to item (12), and (b) obtaining the permission of the owner or person in legal control or legal possession of the premises;

(14) A person engaged in firearms related activities while on the premises of a fixed place of business which conducts, as a regular course of its business, activities related to sale, repair, pawn, firearms training, or use of firearms, unless the premises is posted with a sign limiting possession of firearms to holders of permits issued pursuant to item (12);

(15) A person while transferring a handgun directly from or to a vehicle and a location specified in this section where one may legally possess the handgun.

(16) Any person on a motorcycle when the pistol is secured in a closed saddlebag or other similar closed accessory container attached, whether permanently or temporarily, to the motorcycle.

23-31-230. Carrying concealed weapons between automobile and accommodation.

Notwithstanding any provision of law, any person may carry a concealable weapon from an automobile or other motorized conveyance to a room or other accommodation he has rented and upon which an accommodations tax has been paid.

Open Carry (Without a Valid Permit/License)

Open Carry of a handgun is illegal in South Carolina. Even those with a valid permit/license to carry a concealed firearm can’t legally open carry.

State Preemption

23-31-510. Regulation of ownership, transfer, or possession of firearm or ammunition; discharge on landowner's own property

No governing body of any county, municipality, or other political subdivision in the State may enact or promulgate any regulation or ordinance that regulates or attempts to regulate: (1) the transfer, ownership, possession, carrying, or transportation of firearms, ammunition, components of firearms, or any combination of these things; or (2) a landowner discharging a firearm on the landowner's property to protect the landowner's family, employees, the general public, or the landowner's property from animals that the landowner reasonably believes pose a direct threat or danger to the landowner's property, people on the landowner's property, or the general public. For purposes of this item, the landowner's property must be a parcel of land comprised of at least twenty-five contiguous acres. Any ordinance regulating the discharge of firearms that does not specifically provide for an exclusion pursuant to this item is unenforceable as it pertains to an incident described in this item; otherwise, the ordinance is enforceable.

23-31-520. Power to Regulate Public Use of Firearms; Confiscation of Firearms or Ammunition

This article does not affect the authority of any county, municipality, or political subdivision to regulate the careless or negligent discharge or public brandishment of firearms, nor does it prevent the regulation of public brandishment of firearms during the times of or a demonstrated potential for insurrection, invasions, riots, or natural disasters. This article denies any county, municipality, or political subdivision the power to confiscate a firearm or ammunition unless incident to an arrest.

Laws Regarding Deadly Force

16-11-420 thru 16-11-450. "Protection of Persons and Property Act"

16-11-420 Intent and Findings of General Assembly.
16-11-430 Definitions.
16-11-440 Presumption of Reasonable Fear of Imminent Peril When Using Deadly Force Against Another Unlawfully Entering Residence, Occupied Vehicle or Place of Business.
16-11-450 Immunity from Criminal Prosecution and Civil Actions; Law Enforcement Officer Exception;
Costs.

Also this court case below.

State of South Carolina

State Law Enforcement Division (SLED)

Use of Firearms or Other Weapons

(Taken from the SLED Web site on Firearms)

Use of Deadly Force

State v. Fuller, 297 S.C. 440, 377 S.E.2d 328 (1989) sets forth the elements of self-defense in South Carolina. These are:

1. you must be without fault in bringing on the difficulty;
2. you must actually believe you are in imminent danger of loss of life or serious bodily injury or actually be in such danger;
3. if you believe you are in such danger, you must use deadly force only if a reasonable or prudent man of ordinary firmness and courage would have believed himself to be in such danger, or, if you actually were in such danger, the circumstances were such as would warrant a man of ordinary prudence, firmness and courage to strike the fatal blow in order to save yourself from serious bodily harm or losing your own life;
4. you had no other probable means of avoiding the danger of losing your own life or sustaining serious bodily injury than to act as you did in the particular instance.

South Carolina Supreme Ct. Self Defense Ruing - State v. Jones Appellate Case No. 2014-002123 (5/16)

16-11-410 thru 450 “'Protection of Persons and Property Act”

(1) "Dwelling" means a building or conveyance of any kind, including an attached porch, whether the building or conveyance is temporary or permanent, mobile or immobile, which has a roof over it, including a tent, and is designed to be occupied by people lodging there at night.

(2) "Great bodily injury" means bodily injury which creates a substantial risk of death or which causes serious, permanent disfigurement, or protracted loss or impairment of the function of a bodily member or organ.

(3) 'Residence' means a dwelling in which a person resides either temporarily or permanently or is visiting as an invited guest.

(4) 'Vehicle' means a conveyance of any kind, whether or not motorized, which is designed to transport people or property.

(C) A person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and who is attacked in another place where he has a right to be, including, but not limited to, his place of business, has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his ground and meet force with force, including deadly force, if he reasonably believes it is necessary to prevent death or great bodily injury to himself or another person or to prevent the commission of a violent crime as defined in Section 16-1-60.

Defense of Others

In State v. Hays, 121 S.C. 163, 168, 113 S.E. 362, 363 (1922), the Court approved a “defense of others” instruction, as follows:

The right to take the life of an assailant during an unprovoked assault extends to any relative, friend, or bystander if the use of deadly force is necessary to save the victim wrongfully assaulted from imminent danger of being murdered by the assailant, if the assault is malicious and unprovoked and with a deadly weapon, with the apparent malicious intention to take the life of the victim and thereby commit murder, and if such murder is imminent, then any relative, friend, or bystander has the right to take the life of the assailant if necessary to prevent such murder, provided there was no other reasonable means of escape for the victim so assailed, and provided both the person assailed and the person coming to his defense were without legal fault in bringing on the difficulty.

South Carolina has adopted the so-called “alter-ego” rule with respect to the defense of others. In State v. Cook, 78 S.C. 253, 59 S.E. 862 (1907), the Court summarized this rule:

If you intervene on behalf of another, you will not be allowed the benefit of the plea of self-defense, unless that plea would have been available to the person you assisted if he himself had done the killing.
In other words, the person intervening is deemed to “stand in the shoes” of the person on whose behalf he is intervening. If that individual “had the right to defend himself, then the intervening party is also protected by that right. If, however, the party [victim] had no right to use force…then the intervening party will also assume the liability of the person on whose behalf he interfered.” McAninch and Fairey, p. 494.
The “defense of others” rules apply to “any relative, friend or bystanders…” State v. Hays, supra. The same principles of retreat and withdrawal apply as if the individual himself were acting in self-defense rather than on behalf of someone else. If there was no duty to retreat by the person being assisted, there is no duty imposed upon the intervenor.

Defense of Property “…in the protection of one’s dwelling, only such force must be used as is necessary, or apparently necessary, to a reasonably prudent man. Any greater expenditure cannot be justifiable and is therefore punishable.

“[t]he weight of modern authority limits deadly force in a defense of a dwelling to situations in which the householder reasonably believes that the intruder intends to commit a felony or only when deadly force would be authorized by the law of self-defense.” McAninch and Fairey.

Can Carry in Restaurants That Serve Alcohol

16-23-465

(B)(1) This section does not apply to a person carrying a concealable weapon pursuant to and in compliance with Article 4, Chapter 31, Title 23; however, the person shall not consume alcoholic liquor, beer, or wine while carrying the concealable weapon on the business’ premises. A person who violates this item may be charged with a violation of subsection (A).

Laws Regarding Chemical Sprays, Stun Guns, and Higher Capacity Magazines

For Chemical Sprays

16-23-470. It is lawful to possess a container not exceeding fifty cubic centimeters (50cc) containing tear gas “for self-defense purposes only.”

Airport Carry and Other Misc. Information

Airport Carry: If publically owned Not in Terminal. Parking Lot OK (Section 16-23-420(a)). It is difficult to know who owns the airport.

Training Valid for: 3 Years

Time Period to Establish Residency: Upon obtaining a South Carolina Drivers License/ID

Minimum Age for Permit/License: 21 Years Old

Permit/License Info Public Information: NO

State Reciprocity/How They Honor Other States Statute: Section 23-31-215

State Fire arm Laws: 23-31-10 thru 23-31-600 & 16-23-210 thru 16-23-1060

State Deadly Force Laws: 16-11-410 thru 16-11-450

State Knife Laws: 16-23-405 & 16-23-430

Chemical/Electric Weapons Laws: 16-23-470

Body Armor Laws: 16-3-1080

Does Your Permit Cover Other Weapons Besides Firearms? NO; 23-31-210

Is carrying of a Concealed Firearm with Permit/License for Defensive Purposes Only While Hunting Legal? YES; Section 16-23-20

What Does SC Consider A Loaded Firearm?

50-11-760. Hunting from Certain Public Roads and Railroad Rights-of-Way Prohibited; Definitions; Penalties.
(2) For purposes of this section, loaded means a weapon within which any ammunition is contained.

State Emergency Powers

23-31-520. Power to Regulate Public Use of Firearms; Confiscation of Firearms or Ammunition

The Federal Law can apply if the state is receiving monetary and/or other assistance from the Federal Government. See US Code 42-5207 for Federal Law as it applies to States of Emergencies. The state quoted code may also not be all of the law on Emergency Powers held by the state. You should read the entire code on Emergency Powers etc for this state by following the link to the state code.

Minimum Age for Possessing and Transporting of Handguns

South Carolina: 18 Years Old

16-23-30 This is the minimum age for possessing and transporting a handgun in a vehicle without any type of permit/license to carry firearms.

In some states, Possession and Transportation can be very restrictive in that you can only possess and transport a handgun to and from a Shooting Range, Gun Shop, property you own or other places you can legally possess a handgun. Some states do not have this restriction. See “RV/Car Carry” Section Above for more information.