South Carolina § 23-31-600 - Retired personnel; identification cards; qualifications for carrying concealed weapon.

§ 23-31-600. Retired personnel; identification cards; qualifications for carrying concealed weapon.

(A) For purposes of this section:

(1) "Identification card" is a photographic identification card complying with 18 U.S.C. Section 926C.

(2) "Qualified retired law enforcement officer" shall have the same meaning as in 18 U.S.C. Section 926C.

(B) An agency or department within this State may comply with 18 U.S.C. Section 926C, by issuing an identification card to any qualified retired law enforcement officer. If the agency or department currently issues credentials to active law enforcement officers, the agency or department may comply with the requirements of this section by issuing the same credentials to qualified retired law enforcement officers. If the same credentials are issued, then the agency or department must stamp the credentials with the word "RETIRED".

(C)(1) Subject to the limitations of subsection (E), a qualified retired law enforcement officer may carry a concealed weapon in this State if the qualified retired law enforcement officer possesses an identification card along with a certification that the qualified retired law enforcement officer has, not less recently than one year before the date the individual is carrying the firearm, met the standards established by the agency for training and qualification for active law enforcement officers to carry a firearm of the same type as the concealed firearm.

(2) The firearms certification required by this subsection may be reflected on the identification card or may be in a separate document carried with the identification card.

(D) The restrictions contained in Section 23-31-220 are applicable to a person carrying a concealed weapon pursuant to this section. Carrying a concealed weapon into the residence or dwelling place of another person is prohibited without the expressed permission of the owner or person in legal control or possession of the premises, as appropriate.

(E) The agency or department must provide the qualified retired law enforcement officer with the opportunity to qualify to carry a firearm under the same standards for training and qualification for active law enforcement officers to carry firearms. However, the agency or department, as provided in 18 U.S.C. Section 926C, may require the qualified retired law enforcement officer to pay the actual expenses of the training and qualification.

HISTORY: 2005 Act No. 154, SECTION 3; 2014 Act No. 228 (S.1076), SECTION 1, eff June 2, 2014; 2024 Act No. 111 (H.3594), SECTION 13, eff March 7, 2024.

Editor's Note

2024 Act No. 111, SECTIONS 1 and 24, provide as follows:

"SECTION 1. This act may be cited as the 'South Carolina Constitutional Carry/Second Amendment Preservation Act of 2024'."

"SECTION 24. No provision in this act should be construed as the General Assembly discouraging responsible gun ownership; and the General Assembly, in fact, encourages all gun owners to pursue and receive appropriate gun safety training before carrying a firearm or weapon."

Effect of Amendment

2014 Act No. 228, SECTION 1, rewrote subsections (A), (B), (C)(1), and (E).

2024 Act No. 111, SECTION 13, rewrote (D).

Editor's Note

2013 Act No. 22, SECTION 3, provides as follows:

"SECTION 3. A court required to submit information to SLED pursuant to this act concerning individuals who have been adjudicated as a mental defective or who have been committed to a mental institution shall, from the effective date of this act forward, submit information by court order within five days from the filing of each order and in accordance with procedures developed as required by this act and have one year from this act's effective date to submit retroactive information by court order on such individuals going back a minimum of ten years or, if records are not available as far back as ten years, as far back as records exist."