Gov. Henry McMaster Signs Bill Making South Carolina 29th Constitutional Carry State

Gov. Henry McMaster (R-SC) signed legislation Thursday making South Carolina the twenty-ninth constitutional carry state.

On Wednesday, Breitbart News reported that South Carolina was on the verge of adopting constitutional carry.

McMaster signed the legislation Thursday, and it took effect immediately:

WPDE noted that the constitutional carry law allows law-abiding South Carolinians who are 18 years old and older to carry a gun for self-defense without first having to get permission from the government.

The new law contains “increased penalties for illegal gun use and possession.”

The other 28 constitutional carry states are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming (Note: Louisiana’s constitutional carry law takes effect on July 4, 2024.)

RELATED: AWR Hawkins Explains the Value of Concealed Carry Permits

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a pro-staffer for Pulsar Night Vision. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and holds a Ph.D. in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..