Thumbnail image of SC required sign
Charleston, SC- The swift adoption of a new law striking down a long standing prohibition against bring concealed weapons into bars and restaurants in SC caught many people by surprise and revealed a remarkable legal fact in SC. The thousands of off the shelf signs on display around our state in offices, civic buildings, medical facilities and schools prohibiting weapons on premise don't legally apply to people who have a concealed weapon permit. Only signs meeting very particular requirements as to design, size and location are legally valid.
Press Event at the Charleston Market, Thur. Jan. 30
We'll be inviting the press and public to join us in front of Market Hall, in downtown Historic Charleston's bar and restaurant district on Thursday, January 30th. at 1 pm as we mark what we believe will be the first full weekend of concealed carry weapons in our bars and restaurants here with a reminder that each business must now make a choice and can post a sign to let it's customers know if it does not welcome weapons. We'll have samples of signs for bars and restaurants which serve alcohol to use to indicate which side they're on. After the presser, we'll fan out for lunch and outreach to the surrounding places which provide food and drink to educate them about the choices we all have to make here now. We'll be asking the Governor, SLED and local law enforcement to implement procedures for approving sign designs as being compliant and assisting local businesses in seeing that they are installed in the locations which make them legally effective. Facebook event signup.
We set out the full sign requirements in a previous post.
We also learned that some firearms instructors are telling people being trained to get permits that they can take their loaded weapons into places where the signs posted do not meet state standards. The express terms of the state statute make it clear that the signs specified, and only those signs, are sufficient to provide legally effective notice. Media reports on this issue have only mentioned "signs" and haven't informed the public that a very specific sign is required, not whatever you can find in a bin at office depot. We have heard from firearms instructors who do advise their students to respect any obvious sign even though the law may not require it.
We're getting a lot of calls and emails about where you can get the required signs. As of last week, SC State Government wasn't providing much assistance in making sure complaint signs were available. A call to SLED, the state agency which issues concealed weapon permits produced only the assurance that any sign shop could make the required sign and a reference to the statute. Calls to local sign shops told us something very different.
Here is the full text of the bill passed by the legislature, which has, according to press reports, been signed by the governor and is now law.
If you need a required federal notice sign for industry or labor regulations, there are hundreds you can download and print out in PDF format online on federal agency websites. In SC, you can go on a hunt for a complaint sign without knowing if the design you've chosen for your hundred dollar monster parking lot sign meets the state standard.
The pro gun industry would probably prefer that nobody be talking about this and that the population continue the slow march towards their dreamed of "armed society" where everyone is convinced they can't safely get from their desert to the parking lot without a nine millimeter pistol. Nothing will persuade you that there are too many guns out there more forcefully than reading fantasy scenarios posted online by frustrated people about how they plan to become a hero at Applebees with their concealed weapon.
At least one sign shop in Charleston is ready to produce what appear to be compliant signs now, Brooks Signs. This is the No Concealable Weapons Allowed design they have. Next week we'll be asking the Governor and Charleston Police Chief Mullen to confirm that this design meets the state standard and requesting their support in assisting businesses in being sure that the proper signs are installed in the required locations. We'll also be holding an event to raise public awareness. We believe the state should make PDF files available online so anyone can print out the standard door sign and have it laminated at a local print shop.
CWP Compliance has a full selection of signs available for online ordering now, including Concealed Weapons Allowed signs for businesses who wish to let the weapons carrying public know their guns are welcome.
The Free Times Newspaper in Columbia has reported on a sign company producing signs there http://www.free-times.com/...
A careful reading of the law and the states other laws on guns raises the question of this particular sign being effective for weapons which aren't concealed. With an open carry bill moving through the legislature, property owners would benefit from a single approved sign and window sticker of somewhat smaller dimensions being approved and available which covers all weapons not in the hands of law enforcement officers or specifically approved by the owner.
A simple window sticker isn't going to keep loaded guns out of your place of business in Charleston, SC now. The lack of honesty about this issue during the short debate had on this law since the start of the legislative session didn't really inform the public of that fact. It's time for state and local government to assist the community in making an effective and legally enforceable election about having loaded weapons in their place of business so that if they so desire, any weapon there is an illegal one.
A sign for businesses which welcome concealed weapons.
Of course many people won't understand what walking into a place without a sign now means. It's unlikely we're going to be able to get an ALEC programmed state legislature, now including plenty of Democrats hoping to be able to quietly go along, to require businesses to post a "concealed weapons allowed" sign by the door. However, such signs are available.
In SC, if you want to carry a gun around everywhere, your government is ready to help. If you want to know the truth about which places are allowed to have guns and which aren't and how to decide which one your office or place of business is, you're likely to be misinformed or mistaken. We're working to make that less likely.
You can follow developments in Charleston and across the state on the Facebook Page for Moms Demand Action - SC
We can't promise a perfect effort to help people make this choice by posting a sign. We'll do our best. Fortunately mistakes about where signs go and what type to use aren't usually fatal.
12:48 PM PT: The Gunburger website is a pro gun website active in several Western Cities which lists businesses and their signs and policies on having weapons on premise. http://www.gunburger.com/...
Tue Jan 28, 2014 at 10:23 AM PT: Just another shooting. No way to know who, if anyone had a permit. Violence begets violence in the Bible belt. http://www.postandcourier.com/...
Tue Jan 28, 2014 at 12:02 PM PT: Contrary to some media reports, the Governor hasn't yet signed the bill into law which won't happen until next week due to the snow emergency here in SC (please don't laugh if you are from Michigan, you haven't seen people try to drive on ice here). She's expected to sign it and we'll be ready with an on the ground response in Charleston. Down here Progressives have a very difficult situation and we have to make tough tactical decisions about which fingers go in which dikes and who just has to learn to swim.
Sun Feb 02, 2014 at 8:48 AM PT: State Newspaper article on politicians support of the new law allowing guns in bars and restaurants. I invite everyone to reach their own conclusions because our Democratic politicians make figuring out where they stand very difficult. http://www.thestate.com/...