Traveling to SC

[2beararms]

I am planning a family trip soon to the “touristy” areas of South Carolina.

I was originally quite pleased that South Carolina would now honor my Florida permit, however, as I looked at the trip I realized that it may be a pretty much moot point.

I’ve done this trip for 20 years so I understand the routine. On every excursion you leave the hotel, drive to a “touristy” destination, for example the historic area of Charleston, or Broadway at the Beach or Barefoot landing in Myrtle Beach. You then park the car a few blocks away, because that is as close as you are going to park in these areas, and you get out and spend a few hours walking around shops, etc and generally grab something to eat during the excursion. In Florida, you could do all this while being self-protected with your firearm.

But in South Carolina, in order to be able to include that “get something to eat” portion of the general tourism it means leaving the gun in the car from moment one because I may not take my gun into a place that sells alcohol for on-site consumption… and that is every restaurant so what am I going to do with my gun at that point? I could tell my group, I need to walk back to the car before we eat, but I am still unarmed and now alone for that ‘commute’.

So if I want to protect myself, I must always separate eating from everything else and then only eat in places where I can park immediately outside?

So I guess my gun will be in my car and I must resort to other means of protection because I am not one who violates the laws and I am not one who puts being armed with a firearm above all else.

I guess I am amazed at how stupid criminals must be in all the states that have these restaurant restrictions though.

If I were a criminal looking to pull armed robberies I would set myself up to watch patrons of good restaurants in touristy areas (or any area) where people need to park at least a block or so away. You will always know two things … they have money on them if they are going to a good restaurant and they are unarmed thanks to the smart thinking of these states legislatures.

[FN1910]

I am confused as from this sites infomation page about FL it says that you cannot carry in:

10. any portion of an establishment licensed to dispense alcoholic beverages for consumption*

Florida Concealed Carry Permit Information

This is almost the same as SC except the portion of an establishment where SC says in the entire establishment. I don't know of any restaurant that has a separtate non-drinking area of the restaurant so the FL and SC laws would be pretty much the same.

Is the information here incorrect or am I interpreting it incorrectly? A bill was introduced in the SC Senate this year to modify that but has not moved out of committee. Also there is some interpretations of the SC law that says that the alcohol part for CWP holders is invalid but it has not been challenged in court.

[HootmonSccy]

I am confused as from this sites infomation page about FL it says that you cannot carry in:

Florida Concealed Carry Permit Information

This is almost the same as SC except the portion of an establishment where SC says in the entire establishment. I don't know of any restaurant that has a separtate non-drinking area of the restaurant so the FL and SC laws would be pretty much the same.

Is the information here incorrect or am I interpreting it incorrectly? A bill was introduced in the SC Senate this year to modify that but has not moved out of committee. Also there is some interpretations of the SC law that says that the alcohol part for CWP holders is invalid but it has not been challenged in court.

In Florida -
You can eat at Chili's (carrying) - but you can not walk through the bar area.
You can even drink in the restaurant, but you must be served. You also can not sit at high (bar height) tables, but in a booth you are fine..
All of this makes great since.. Right??

[2beararms]

That section as posted is seriously shortened, the actual statute reads ... "any portion of an establishment licensed to dispense alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises, which portion of the establishment is primarily devoted to such purpose," and under legislative definition that is intended to mean the immediate bar area, or an entire establishment who's primary product is alcohol ..a 'stand alone' bar. These follow the definitions in the smoking ban part of the statute.

As hootmon says, you can carry into any restarurant, eat there, even consume alcohol if you desire just you basically cannot "belly up to the bar". An area a few feet away from the bar where food is served is no problem. (The "high-top" table thing by the way is only an "identifying" factor as recommended by some CCW instructors and only applies to tables near the bar. There are no table height restrictions in Florida. I know of plenty of restaurants that have high tops the room not near the bar at all and they are all fine.)

But of most importance is that I can carry in and out of the restaurant and sit at a normal table which means I can carry going TO AND FROM the restaurant. In South Carolina (among other states), since I cannot take my weapon into the restaurant at all, and since restaruants likely do not make provisions to check weapons, nor do I want to check my weapon with some waiter, I therefore have no way to go into the restaurant at all because I have to get rid of my weapon which means I can't carry going TO OR FROM the restaurant either.

You are in South Carolina what do you do when you go out to a restaurant?

If you leave your weapon in the car then you are unarmed for the walk to and from the restaurant. If you have to park a few blocks away, you are now a prime target. I often have to park a few blocks away for the good restaurants in South Carolina Citys (especially Charleston), or I guess I could choose to visit lower end chains in the malls where there is space in the parking lot, but even that is like the state saying I need to be unarmed in the most dangerous environment anywhere (mall parking lots), or like getting to any restaurant in the touristy complexes like those mentioned.

BTW, yes in Florida you can consume alcohol in restaurants while carrying and there had not been any cases that I know of where consumption by a legal permitted CCW has ever created a problem.

[Red Hat]

I try to frequent restaurants that don't serve alcohol. Until the change the law here in SC that's just what you have to do...leave it in your car. They have tried and are still trying to change the law. We are not the only state that has this problem. Several states have a no carry law in restaurants that serve alcohol. I don't advocate breaking the law so I won't post what I do in this situation.

[2beararms]

I try to frequent restaurants that don't serve alcohol. Until the change the law here in SC that's just what you have to do...leave it in your car. They have tried and are still trying to change the law. We are not the only state that has this problem. Several states have a no carry law in restaurants that serve alcohol. I don't advocate breaking the law so I won't post what I do in this situation.

Thanks. My point exactly. And I know of NO restaurants that fall under fine dining and don't serve alcohol. Of course when you are on a pleasure trip, there are those that "expect" only fine dining.

The fact is that as noted I have been making this trip for years and until this year my Florida permit has not been good in SC anyway so I am used to not being permitted to carry in SC. I guess I am "more" permitted now in that if I want to carry into "xxxxx" even though I would be in violation, my risk is at least only getting caught inside, which is minimal ... but as we say, I do not like to break the law.

Therefore, I will likely resort to either less than lethal (or perhaps violation) for most of my resort time, because I can assure you that scheduling around the gun for my extended family is not a feasible option.

South Carolina is a great place and I have business associates there some of whom are people of influence in politics and I will now be bringing great pressure on them to talk with "the stupid old men" (as they call them) [SC {or fill in any state** legislators] to fix this problem. Just one more baby step.

BTW: I am griping about SC because that is the only state I often go to, most other states are simply pass through so I don't pay a whole lot of attention. No offense meant to SC, I would just like to get it fixed because I might want to live there one day.

[FN1910]

Thanks for clearing that up. That is the problem with these quick and dirty shortened versions of laws as they can be quite misleading. The FL version is very similar to the one they are working on in the SC legislature but I am afraid that there are a few idiots in ofice that will argue against it.

[dadpharm]

I go to Charleston twice a month and I carry a kel tec P32 in a pocket holster that looks like a wallet. Conceled means concealed and I would rather be protected. Also punishment is loss of permit for a year. However this should change this year 2010

[bbarton713]

I go to Charleston twice a month and I carry a kel tec P32 in a pocket holster that looks like a wallet. Conceled means concealed and I would rather be protected. Also punishment is loss of permit for a year. However this should change this year 2010

Concealed means concealed and they don't actively patrol restaurants looking for CWP carriers. Unless you go to the restaurant and flash your handgun, get in a drunken brawl, or stiff the wait-staff you're not going to garner any more attention than you would walking around BATB.

Not a lawyer, not a law-breaker, eminently pragmatic.