South Carolina doesn't have shall-issue?
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No, it doesn't. Just over a year ago, the state police even went over three months without processing new applications and without processing renewals. They ignored a lawsuit and an order from the governor demanding them to do their job.
I've never been charged with a crime, much less convicted, and I've gotten my application turned down five times so far. Out of nine others I took the CCW class with, only one of the others was granted a permit from the state police. That one got hers because she worked for the coroner's office in Columbia, SC and had her boss carry the application by hand to the state police.
Recently, I talked to the chief justice of the state supreme court about the issue. He said attempting to get the state police to follow a court order was a losing proposition so he suggested not wasting the money. He also said there was a chance the judge would rule against me, because no one has yet successfully challenged the state police for a permit. He also suggested carrying without a permit. I read in the paper that one local resident was sentenced to a year in prison for carrying. I don't know how old he was, but he lived in a local assisted living facility, so I'd guess he was probably about my age. I'm not taking any chances with a year in prison, so I don't carry.
My sister-in-law was turned down for a permit, but she carried a handgun in her car anyway. She got caught by a cop (she opened her glove compartment where her pistol was stored to get to her "papers") and was fined $1,000, and she spent over $2,000 on a lawyer. According to her lawyer, she was lucky she didn't end-up with jail-time. She's in her late 60's, and could have been sent to jail for a year. As part of the plea bargain, she agreed to give-up her pistol and to not buy another.
The local grassroots organization fights hard for changes in the details of the current CCW laws (like the height of letters on signs), but they haven't yet tried to get the law changed so that someone, besides the rabid anti-gun state police, has control over the permits. They also haven't fought for oversight of the state police. What's the point in fighting over details when people can't get permits in the first place?z