What is Unlawful Carry of a Pistol?

People are generally aware of the fact that every state’s laws may differ, but it’s a rare person who goes to the effort to fully research those differences before visiting a new state. And in most cases, that works out fine – you may end up with a traffic ticket you wouldn’t have received in your home state, but that’s not the end of the world. Of course, if traffic tickets were the worst consequence, we wouldn’t be writing this today.

The most common case of “well, in my state,” that our firm sees is connected to the carrying of a firearm. We see many a visitor to the State of South Carolina arrested on charges of Unlawful Carry of a Pistol, even though, in many cases, that person has a concealed carry permit from their home state. The problem, though, isn’t that the person can’t carry the gun or that their permit is not recognized, it’s that the manner in which they’re carrying is not legal in the State of South Carolina.

Someone might, for example, carry a weapon into a location which is forbidden under South Carolina state law without realizing that it is forbidden. Or they may have a weapon in their vehicle in a space not designated as legally allowed. It would be illegal, for example, to have a gun in a locked box placed inside a backpack on the passenger-side seating area of one’s vehicle in South Carolina. But the box is locked! It doesn’t matter – South Carolina law is very specific about where a gun can be stored in a vehicle.

A conviction for Unlawful Carry means a misdemeanor on your and can net you fines of up to a thousand dollars and/or up to a year of jail time. Worse still, the gun in question will be confiscated.

So, while it is certainly important to have your concealed carry permit on you at all times, it’s also important to understand that failure to follow a state’s individual laws can still result in a criminal charge. Don’t let a charge like this cause major headaches later – if you or a loved one is charged with Unlawful Carry in South Carolina, the attorneys at the Complete Legal Defense Team are here to help.