◆ SOUTH CAROLINA · CARRY LAW
South Carolina.
Information, not legal advice. Confirm with the state before you carry.
Kept in this browser only. Never sent to us.
◆ THE SHORT ANSWEREvery tile below is one of the answers further down this page, with its citation.
Concealed, no permit
Yes
Open, no permit
Yes
In a vehicle, no permit
Yes
Getting a permit
Yes, shall-issue
Nothing in South Carolina that most visitors get caught by, but read the answers below before you rely on that.
◆ CARRYING HERE
What South Carolina requires
The state's permit is the Concealed Weapon Permit, issued by SLED, the State Law Enforcement Division.
Carrying without a permit3
Can I carry concealed here without a permit?
Permitless or "constitutional" carry. "Limited" means some adults qualify and others do not. Read the qualifier.
Yes
Yes, from 18. South Carolina restricts WHERE you may carry rather than whether you need a permit. Outside the listed places there is no offense.
In force since March 7, 2024.
Can I carry openly here without a permit?
Yes
Yes, from 18. The statute says “whether concealed or not”, so the same rule covers both. Including the same list of places you may not go.
Can I keep a loaded handgun in my car without a permit?
Yes
Yes, from 18, on the same terms as on foot.
Permits and age3
If I want this state's permit, will they issue one?
Shall-issue means the state must issue to any qualified applicant. May-issue leaves it to an official's discretion.
Yes, shall-issue
SLED MUST issue to a qualified applicant, resident or non-resident. Worth having even though you do not need it here. It is what other states recognize.
Can I get this state's permit if I live somewhere else?
Yes
Yes. SLED issues to a “qualified nonresident” on the same terms as a resident.
How old do I have to be to carry here?
The floor for the least restrictive lawful route. Where permitless and permit ages differ, the qualifier says so.
18
18, and unusually, that is the PERMIT age too. Every other permit state recorded here sets 21.
If an officer stops you1
Do I have to tell an officer I am armed?
"Required" means you must volunteer it on contact. "On request" means only when asked.
Not required
No statute requires you to announce it. Answer honestly if you are asked.
No duty-to-inform provision in S.C. Code § 23-31-215Read at the South Carolina Legislature ↗Checked 11 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read §§ 16-23-20 and 23-31-215 on 2026-09-05. The carrying offense and the permit section. Neither contains a notification requirement.Buying and owning2
Do I need a state-issued card just to own or buy a firearm here?
Illinois' FOID is the main example. Distinct from a carry permit.
Not required
No permit or license to buy, and no state waiting period. A dealer sale runs the federal background check.
No purchase-permit provision in S.C. Code tit. 23, ch. 31Read at the South Carolina Legislature ↗Checked 11 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read chapter 23-31’s permit provisions on 2026-09-05. South Carolina licenses CARRYING and creates no permit to purchase; § 23-31-510 also bars any local government from regulating transfers.Is there a limit on magazine capacity here?
No limit
South Carolina sets no cap on magazine capacity.
No magazine capacity provision in S.C. Code tit. 16, ch. 23Read at the South Carolina Legislature ↗Checked 11 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read §§ 16-23-20 and 16-23-250 on 2026-09-05. The carrying offense and the prohibited-weapons exceptions. Neither mentions magazine capacity. § 23-31-510 separately bars every county and municipality from regulating firearms or ammunition, so a local cap could not fill the gap.How the state governs guns2
Can a city here write its own gun rules on top of the state's?
Full preemption means state law is the only law. Partial means some cities may go further. Check locally.
No, state law is the only law
No county, municipality or political subdivision may regulate the transfer, ownership, possession, carrying or transportation of firearms or ammunition.
Does this state have a red-flag law?
An extreme risk protection order lets a court order firearms surrendered temporarily.
No, none in this state
South Carolina has no extreme-risk protection order.
No extreme-risk order in South Carolina lawRead at the South Carolina Legislature ↗Checked 11 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Searched for a South Carolina extreme-risk or red-flag order on 2026-09-05. What exists is the order-of-protection scheme in title 20 chapter 4, which can reach firearms through federal prohibited-person rules, and no petition-based extreme-risk order alongside it.◆ RECIPROCITY
Permits South Carolina honors
If you are visiting South Carolina, this is whether your permit counts here.
Pick a state for the full answer with its citation, or find it in the grid below.
Honored54
◆ RECIPROCITY, THE OTHER WAY
Where South Carolina permits are honored
If you live in South Carolina, this is where your permit travels.
Pick a state for the full answer with its citation, or find it in the grid below.
Honored32
Honored, with a condition3
Not honored17
Not settled2
◆ NFA ITEMS
Suppressors and NFA legality
Federal registration is required everywhere these are legal. A state can prohibit them regardless, and several do.
Can I possess a suppressor here?
Federal NFA registration is required everywhere it is legal. State law can prohibit it regardless.
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork. South Carolina has no suppressor ban of its own.
No suppressor prohibition in S.C. Code tit. 16, ch. 23Read at the South Carolina Legislature ↗Checked 11 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read § 16-23-250 in full on 2026-09-05. The exceptions section for the prohibited-weapons article, which names machine guns, sawed-off shotguns and sawed-off rifles throughout and never mentions a silencer or muffler.Can I possess a short-barreled rifle here?
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork, by the same indirect route as the machine gun row.
Can I possess a short-barreled shotgun here?
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork, by the same indirect route as the machine gun row.
Can I possess a machine gun here?
Federally, civilian possession is limited to pre-1986 registered transferables.
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork, though South Carolina’s route there is indirect. The exception is written for a “person authorized by law to possess” one rather than naming the federal registry.
Can I possess an AOW here?
Legal
Most federal any-other-weapons are not reached by South Carolina law at all. The article names machine guns and short barrels and stops.
◆ SOURCES
Where this comes from
This is information, not legal advice. Gun law changes often and the penalty for getting it wrong is criminal. Confirm every answer with the state before you carry there.
- The authority
- SLED, the State Law Enforcement Division ↗
- ATF’s index
- South Carolina firearm statutes ↗ (PDF)