Restaurant Carry (with permit) Coming to South Carolina

Map courtesy of opencarry.org

 It appears that people with concealed weapon permits in South Carolina will now have an easier time of finding a place to have dinner.  South Carolina is just a signature away from joining the vast majority of states that do not prevent people with gun permits from bringing their personal defensive firearms into restaurants that serve alcohol.  The legislation prohibits people carrying legal weapons from consuming alcohol in the establishments.  Governor Nikki Haley seems likely to sign the bill, which passed the house with an overwhelming 90 to 18 majority.  From greenvilleonline.com:

The House’s 90-18 vote Thursday sends the bill to Gov. Nikki Haley, who says she’ll sign any gun bill that doesn’t restrict rights.

As shown in the map above, nearly all states allow permit holders to carry weapons in restaurants.   South Carolina is one of the last three holdouts, with only Louisiana and North Dakota still prohibiting the practice.  Restaurant carry passed the Louisiana House 64-24 last year. 

In an amusing nod to federalism and the vagaries of legislative action, Montana only allows restaurant carry if the firearm is carried openly; Alaska and Arizona only allow the practice if the firearm is concealed.  

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