Constitutional Carry

Owning and carrying firearms are Constitutionally protected rights, but in South Carolina, you cannot carry their handgun without a state-issued permit.

Getting the permit is a whole day of hassle. You have to find an instructor, spend a day in class, pay fees, get fingerprinted, take a written test, fire rounds at a target, and then wait 90+ days for the permit. God forbid that you should be in any imminent danger.

But wait… there’s more.

In South Carolina, you cannot open carry, even with as permit.* This liberal policy is only shared by four other states: FL, IL, NY, and CA!

Take Action

Tell Your Legislator to pass Constitutional Carry

Politicians in Columbia—especially Republicans—make all sorts of excuses for infringing on your right to carry. At the end of the day, like it or not, they still have to account to you on Election Day.

So send them a strong message: pass the bill, or end up like Rep. Greg Duckworth and soon-to-be others who took orders from their party bosses instead of listening to their constituents.

About The Constitutional Carry Act

H.3456 re-asserts your Constitutional right to carry a lawful weapon in three ways:

1. Allowing open carry

2. Allowing concealed carry

3. Making the Concealed Weapons Permit (CWP) optional

Even though you won’t need a Concealed Weapons Permit anymore if H.3456 passes, the bill does leave the CWP program in place as an option and expands reciprocity with other states, in case you need to travel.

Read the Bill: download an annotated copy here

Q&A

• What is the difference between “Constitutional Carry” and “Permitless Carry” laws?

They are mostly the same, although permitless carry laws may not include open carry. We like the term Constitutional Carry since it has its basis in the wording of the Second Amendment (“keep and bear arms”).

• Who may legally own a gun in SC?

Anyone who is at least 18 and who has not been convicted of a violent crime or felony, is not addicted to drugs or habitually drunk, is not a member of a subversive organization or fugitive from justice, and has not been adjudicated mentally ill may legally own a firearm in South Carolina.

• Shouldn’t people have to get training before they are allowed to carry a firearm?

Of course people need to be trained! People who carry without adequate training are at risk of injuring themselves or someone else.

Let’s be clear, however. South Carolina doesn’t actually require training to get a Concealed Weapons Permit (CWP). It does mandate a state-approved course before getting a CWP that consists mainly of instruction on state law and a little target practice. We believe this is ineffective and just serves to discourage people from carrying who could otherwise do so. For those who know what they are doing, the course is demeaning, and those who don’t know what they are doing will still be woefully lacking in training even after they complete the state-approved course (they might, however, think they know what they are doing).

Only a personal dedication to practice will accomplish proficiency, and that is not a task which any government can accomplish. Government can, however, hold people accountable legally for foolish and reckless behavior, which South Carolina does.

Finally, the data simply does not support the idea that state course mandates reduce accidental firearm injuries. There are currently 13 states that issue concealed weapon permits with no “hands on” course mandates. These states are in no way less safe than the states that do.