SC Residents Can Finally Venture Into GA With Their Concealed Firearms

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — South Carolinians finally have concealed carry reciprocity with Georgia, ending a long period of time where either had to carefully watch which side of the border they were carrying on.

South Carolina and Georgia share a long history together and have, for a long time, been joint partners in business, civic advances, and lifestyle. Now, South Carolinians traveling across the border into Georgia will have another thing on their side: the blessing of the State of Georgia to continue to carry their concealed carry handguns.

According to FOX 54 WFXG, gun owners have relied upon non-resident permits issued from states like Arizona and Utah in order to get Georgia reciprocity — a ridiculous obstacle for law-abiding citizens in neighboring states.

“I’m glad they finally got it passed. It’s been too long, mulling around, going back and forth, it’s a great thing for Georgia residents and South Carolina residents that carry concealed,” said Stephanie Scott, owner of the Gun Rack Range in Aiken.

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley signed the bill into law in the beginning of June so from here on out, Georgians and South Carolinians alike will be able to cross over the border without fear of breaking any laws related to the concealed carrying of a handgun.

Looking at it historically, South Carolina and Georgia have a nearly identical concealed carry application process with the exception that Georgia does not uniformly require its applicants to complete a mandatory training class. In South Carolina, there is a mandatory training requirement that all applicants must complete prior to submitting their application.

Many gun training ranges along the South Carolina border have included options to obtain the training needed for non-resident state requirements of places like Arizona and Utah which sometimes have additional reciprocity agreements with bordering southeastern states. Now, that may not be necessary.

With the closing of this hole in concealed carry coverage, it seems that either a South Carolina or a Georgia resident permit will definitively cover the entirety of the southeast — enabling summer time travelers to take fuller advantage of all that the South has to offer.

Stay safe, know your reciprocity laws, and carry everyday.