Quick Legal Facts
Statewide Preemption:
No.
Concealed Carry:
South Carolina has a concealed deadly weapon statute.
Schools:
There is a specific prohibition for any knife with a blade over two inches long, as well as a general prohibition to any type of weapon., in schools.
Major Cities with Knife Ordinances:
Columbia
South Carolina is a knife-friendly jurisdiction. However, several cities, including Columbia, have restrictive ordinances, and AKTI has been working for several years to introduce a statewide knife preemption law.
There are no statewide knife prohibitions in South Carolina. In 2008, AKTI was successful in amending the South Carolina law defining weapons by eliminating a provision which provided that a knife with a blade over two inches long was considered a weapon.
Concealment:
South Carolina has a concealed deadly weapon statute. It specifically excludes dirks, knives and/or razors, unless used with criminal intent or in furtherance of a crime.
§16-23-460. Carrying concealed weapons; forfeiture of weapons.
(A) A person carrying a deadly weapon used for the infliction of personal injury concealed about his person is guilty of a misdemeanor, must forfeit to the county, or, if convicted in a municipal court, to the municipality, the concealed weapon, and must be fined not less than two hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned not less than thirty days nor more than ninety days.
(C) The provisions of this section also do not apply to rifles, shotguns, dirks, slingshots, metal knuckles, knives, or razors unless they are used with the intent to commit a crime or in furtherance of a crime. There is a specific prohibition for any knife with a blade over two inches long, as well as a general prohibition as to any other type of weapon.
Schools:
There is a specific prohibition for any knife with a blade over two inches long, as well as a general prohibition to any type of weapon, in schools.
Statewide Preemption:
No. Check city ordinances, including Columbia for possible additional restrictions.