South Carolina - SC Gun Laws

No state permit or license is required to buy a rifle, shotgun, or handgun in South Carolina. Dealer purchases run through the standard federal NICS background check (Form 4473), with federal age minimums of 18 for a long gun and 21 for a handgun. There's no state waiting period and no state-added purchase restrictions beyond what federal law already requires.

Separately, as of December 1, 2025, South Carolina requires anyone who owns or lawfully possesses a firearm to report its loss or theft to local law enforcement within 10 days of discovering it missing. This is a new reporting duty, not a purchase restriction, but failing to report is a criminal offense.

South Carolina does not require a background check for private, face-to-face firearm sales between people who can legally possess firearms. Federal law still applies — a private seller may not knowingly transfer to someone they believe is a prohibited possessor.

South Carolina follows the standard federal prohibited-persons categories: felony conviction, certain domestic violence convictions or active protective orders, unlawful drug users, individuals adjudicated mentally defective or committed to a mental institution, fugitives from justice, dishonorable military discharge, undocumented immigration status, and renunciation of U.S. citizenship. South Carolina has no red-flag/extreme risk protective order law.

Legal without a permit for anyone 18 or older who can otherwise legally possess a firearm.

Permitless since March 7, 2024 — anyone 18 or older who can legally possess a firearm may carry concealed without a permit, background check at the point of carry, or training requirement. South Carolina still issues an optional Concealed Weapons Permit (CWP), mainly useful for reciprocity when traveling to states that don't recognize South Carolina's permitless standard.

No permit or license is required to carry a firearm, loaded or unloaded, concealed or openly, in a vehicle in South Carolina — the state's permitless carry framework covers vehicle transport the same as carrying on foot. The main restrictions are the same sensitive-location rules that apply anywhere else (see Restricted Locations) and the standard prohibition on possession by someone legally disqualified.

South Carolina's restricted-location list includes K-12 schools and courthouses. Federal restrictions still apply regardless of state law — federal buildings and other federal property remain off-limits under federal statute.

South Carolina does not set a comprehensive statewide minimum age for possessing a firearm beyond the federal purchase-age framework (18 for long guns, 21 for handguns through a dealer). Supervised possession and use by minors below these ages — for hunting, target shooting, or firearms safety instruction under adult supervision — is common practice and not separately restricted by a dedicated state age-floor statute.

None. South Carolina has no magazine capacity limit and no assault weapons ban, and state preemption law (S.C. Code § 23-31-510) blocks any city or county from creating one locally.

South Carolina's Protection of Persons and Property Act (S.C. Code § 16-11-440, enacted 2006) codifies both castle doctrine and stand-your-ground — no duty to retreat before using force, including deadly force, in any place a person has a legal right to be.

South Carolina has strong state preemption under S.C. Code § 23-31-510 — local jurisdictions cannot regulate firearm ownership, possession, transfer, or transportation beyond what state and federal law already establish.

South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), Concealed Weapons Permit resources: sled.sc.gov
Code of Laws of South Carolina, Title 23, Chapter 31 (full text): scstatehouse.gov
Your county Sheriff's Office: for optional CWP applications
ATF: for federal NFA questions — South Carolina does not add state-level restrictions on suppressors beyond federal requirements, and specifically permits suppressor use while hunting