Where Guns Are Barred
S.C. Code 16-23-420 and S.C. Code 16-23-465 — schools, public buildings, and a bar while drinking
Schools and public buildings. It is unlawful to possess a firearm of any kind on premises owned, operated or controlled by a private or public school, college, university, technical college or other post-secondary institution, or in any publicly owned building, without the express permission of the authorities in charge. It is a felony carrying a fine of up to $5,000 or up to five years, or both.
The school part does not apply when the firearm stays inside an attended or locked motor vehicle, secured in a closed glove compartment, closed console, closed trunk or a closed container with an integral fastener in the luggage compartment. Public roads open full time to traffic that run through or beside a campus are not part of its premises.
A business that serves alcohol. Knowingly carrying a firearm into a business that sells liquor, beer or wine for consumption on the premises is a misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $2,000 or up to two years, or both. It does not apply to a person otherwise lawfully carrying who does not drink while carrying there. A permit holder who violates it loses the permit for five years.
An employer or a private property owner may prohibit concealable weapons, concealed or openly carried. A sign reading NO CONCEALABLE WEAPONS ALLOWED is notice of that, and a person who knowingly brings one in may be charged with trespass after warning. The sign has to show the words and a crossed out handgun, at each entrance, in the sizes the sign section sets.
A permit holder convicted a second time of bringing a weapon past such a sign has the permit revoked for a year. The other places section 16-23-20 lists are on the carrying page. Federal buildings and airports follow federal law. Whether a particular place is covered is a question for a licensed South Carolina attorney.
Sources for this section (4)
- S.C. Code 16-23-420 — Possession of firearm on school property
- S.C. Code 16-23-465 — Additional penalty for unlawfully carrying pistol or firearm onto premises of business selling alcoholic liquor, beer or wine
- S.C. Code 23-31-220 — Right to allow or permit concealed weapons upon premises; signs
- S.C. Code 23-31-235 — Sign requirements
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed South Carolina attorney.