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South Carolina Open Carry with Training Act
South Carolina Open Carry with Training Act Went into Effect on August 15, 2021
The Open Carry with Training Act also does not change where a Concealed Weapons Permit (CWP) holder can carry in South Carolina, nor does it change the right of a public or private business or employer to post a sign prohibiting or allowing the carrying of a concealable weapon by a valid CWP holder.
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The Open Carry with Training Act, (R.82, H.3094) does not infringe upon a business’s right to prohibit weapons on its premises, and the current concealed carry prohibition signs technically includes “openly carried” weapons as well. However, the general population may not know or understand that the phrase “No Concealable Weapons” also includes openly-carried weapons, so it could be prudent to add the phrase “No Openly Carried Weapons,” as well.
Private businesses can prohibit any weapons, of any kind, on their property; this latest law does not change that.
Below are the sign requirements that are identical to “No Concealed Weapons Allowed” signs. If a business posts a sign that does not meet the following criteria precisely, someone could, in theory, bring their weapon on to the property without fear of legal ramifications.
All signs must be posted at each entrance into a building where a concealable weapon permit holder is prohibited from carrying a concealable weapon, whether concealed or openly carried, and must be:
• clearly visible from outside the building; • 8 inches wide by 12 inches tall in size; • 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; • 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; • a diameter of a circle; and • placed not less than 40 inches and not more than 60 inches from the bottom of the building’s entrance door.
To comply with the current requirements, the sign should still include the phrase: “NO CONCEALABLE WEAPONS ALLOWED,” but it could be helpful to add after that phrase the following: “NO OPENLY CARRIED WEAPONS ALLOWED.”
