Considering Moving to North or South Carolina.. Need Some Advice

[DreadPirate]

I grew up in Charleston and currently live in a small town 10 miles south. Prices in my area are reasonable. CWP is an 8-hour course, range qualification and background check. I can carry in North Carolina with my SC CWP. There are a few ranges that I know in the area:

Trader World Gunshop & Range: indoor pistol only
ATP Gunshop & Range: indoor pistol & rifle
Twin Ponds Rifle Range: operated on federal park land
Boggy Head Rifle Range: I don't have any personal experience with this one

I live in unincorporated Charleston County, so I set up a range and shoot in my own yard most of the time.

If you have any questions about the greater Charleston area, feel free to PM me.

 

[gimlet1/21]

Me and my family left SC in July; we were there for two years. Think carefully before you make the decision to go there; when we moved there from Vermont seeking a warmer climate and rural communities we neglected to factor in the depressed population and crime rate (huge in Sumter area). Local governments are headed down the tubes as the democratically depressed have begun to vote against gun owners, consequently the crime rate will rise over the next few years. I would recommend NC or if you must Northern SC , Spartanburg or Greenville area. Also I don't believe SC will issue an out of state CC unless you own property in SC.

 

[S&W-Keeper]

Come on down to the Charleston area we have two indoor ranges.The Charleston area is also the home of Palmetto Gun Club. We have a 600 yard range.Google it. It is very nice.North Carolina also recognizes S.C.'s cc. permit.

 

[GreySmoke2]

What about near Myrtle Beach? I was consider that area myself.

 

[Country_boy_88]

If you're considering South Carolina, you may want to have a look at this. It talks about reciprocity, CCW, and duty to retreat. You have the duty to retreat in SC if you are on the street (even in your car) or "in a store where the public is invited."

DD

and you would be incorrect.....we are fortunate enough to have a castle doctorine in place.

A Castle Doctrine (also known as a Castle Law or a Defense of Habitation Law) is an American legal doctrine that arose from English Common Law[1] that designates one's place of residence (or, in some states, any place legally occupied, such as one's car or place of work) as a place in which one enjoys protection from illegal trespassing and violent attack. It then goes on to give a person the legal right to use deadly force to defend that place (his/her "castle"), and/or any other innocent persons legally inside it, from violent attack or an intrusion which may lead to violent attack. In a legal context, therefore, use of deadly force which actually results in death may be defended as justifiable homicide under the Castle Doctrine.

That being said Ive lived in SC since 95. We migrated down here from Elizabeth City,NC. I personally love south carolina. We have mountains and the beach within 5hrs either way from damn near anywhere in the state.
I live in lexington and go to school/work in Columbia.

As far as the state as a whole. Well really just depends on where you live. Lexington surrounds the gorgeous lake murrary and has nearly tripled in size since we moved. The cost of living is cheap however compared to anywhere else in the US. We sold our 3 bed (2500sq ft) 2.5bath 2 acre(with inground pool) for i believe $220K. Our new house is much smaller 1300 sq ft 3 bedroom on just under an acre for $130k.

School systems according to the media are ****ty but well Our school district is one of the best in the states. Followed closesly by places such as summerville/mauldin/byrnes.
Your children if they maintain a 3.0 and do good in high school basically get free rides to college with the help of the lottery $$$. USC being the #1 ranked international buisness school in the country.

I really dont care for Charleston at all though or myrtle beach. Both our tourist centrals and well they just suck to a country boy like me. Paulys island is a great place to vacation though.
Not sure what you do for work. We have a good bit of manufacturing opportunities(michelin, FN, Cooper Power Tools, Westinghouse, to name a few)

Getting your cwp is as easy as taking an 8hr class and qualifying. The best range is Carolina Rifle Club located in Gaston,SC. I believe they arebuilding or plan on building a 1000yrd range. I know for a fact they have high power matches, silouette, cowboy, IDPA, and 3 gun.

want to know anything else feel free to PM me

 

[iiibdsiil]

Here in NC there is no carrying in any establishment that serves alcohol for consumption. There is also no state preemption or whatever it's called, the cities can have their own gun laws (maybe only to a certain extent). I know I can't carry at the dog park or any other park because of some stupid city law here in Southern Pines.

 

[John Wayne]

Move to Greenville, SC. It doesn't smell like a swamp.

South Carolina does not have handgun permits, and you can carry a pistol in the glove box without any sort of license. SC CWP is good for NC and vice versa.

iiibdsiii, I believe the distinction in NC is that to carry in a restaurant, it cannot derive more than 49% of its revenue from alcohol sales (then it's a bar, and off limits). Likewise, any place that charges for admission (like cover at a bar) is off limits. In SC it's any place that sells for consumption--you can carry to the liquor store but not Applebee's.

 

[Zach S]

In SC it's any place that sells for consumption--you can carry to the liquor store but not Applebee's.

Same in NC.

 

[ny32182]

I live 15 min from Greenville, but have been around SC just about all my life....

Like any other place, in the cities you will have your concentration of "liberals"; outside of the cities in SC, you get into BFE real fast.

We might give you a little **** about being a yankee, but it is mostly good natured.

Greenville Gun Club has trap/skeet, 300yd rifle range, pistol range, and multiple bays for dynamic shooting. I shoot IDPA there regularly; they also have Highpower and a few other pursuits I think. They have 3-gun only very occassionally.

There are several gun shops in Greenville, the newest of which was just opened by a guy I shoot IDPA with; it has a nice shop, indoor pistol range and he is also a class III dealer (first one to the northwest of Columbia as far as I know).

Getting a CWP here is so easy it is literally a joke; it is also honored in NC, VA, TN. Unfortunately it is not honored in GA or FL; you can get a FL non-res permit if either of those places are on your itinerary.

Greenville is just about the right amount of "city" for me; there is something to do for everyone, dining across the board, shopping if the wife is into that, good employment prospects; nice downtown area; about 300k people. Has a lot of the big city upside without feeling like a mega-metropolis like Charlotte or Atlanta. It is about 1.5 hours from both those places, directly in between.

 

[benEzra]

I believe the distinction in NC is that to carry in a restaurant, it cannot derive more than 49% of its revenue from alcohol sales (then it's a bar, and off limits). Likewise, any place that charges for admission (like cover at a bar) is off limits.

Actually, NC's is much worse; carry is verboten if the establishment sells alcohol at all for consumption on the premises, e.g. a restaurant with a wine list or that has beer on the menu, even if they only sell one drink in a year. Of course, whether you or anyone with you is drinking is irrelevant.

The "anywhere that charges admission" statute was intended to apply to bars and sporting events, I think, but was written overly broadly and so covers theaters and anywhere else you have to pay to get in. I don't think that was the legislative intent, but legislators don't always think things through...

 

[ny32182]

In SC you can't carry any place that serves alcohol for consumption on premesis; that would include any restaruant. Seems to be a pretty common "prohibited place", at least across the southeast.

 

[D Boone]

I live in eastern NC. Not terrible. Nats and heat in the summer, but the blood quickly thins. I would recommend moving in the winter, easier to adjust to the heat that way. In NC, if you live east of 95, property is cheap until you get to the coast, but can be flat and swampy. I find liberals stay in town, and the conservatives all live outside city limits. I think that would be pretty normal trend across America. There is at least 1 1000yrd range I know of in the western part of the state. Like someone else said in an earlier post, most shooting is on someone's farmland. I am pretty sure there is a 700yrd range in the middle of the state but I think its owned by a club. I think the 1000 yrd range is on private property but I think I could point you in the correct direction. I am fortunate enough to have a friend with property and he is setting up some pretty descent long distance ranges for us to play on. Good luck with whatever you choose to do. NC is slowly being populated by masses of people who are not from here, but we have always been a politically middle of the road kind of state. I found it easy to get a ccw license, might want to check out the county you are moving to to see what affiliation your local sheriff is, and whether or not he is gun friendly. They really hold all the cards in the local jurisdiction on NFA, CCW and the like.

 

[bk0331]

Hello Evergreen,

I live near Charleston, in Mount Pleasant, having moved from NY 9 years ago. Yes, it is humid in the summer, and yes, there are lots of sand gnats mozzies, but its not unbearable.

The property taxes are low compared to the northeast, but the state income tax rate is 7%, the sales tax in Charleston County is 7% [I think] and we also pay annual personal property tax on our motor vehicles and boats.

The crime rate is high in some parts of North Charleston, but not everywhere, just as you would find in most urban areas.

For CCW info, visit the SC State Law Enforcement Division [SLED] website. There are some restrictions where you can carry, but its not too bad.

There is a local gun club with a 600 yard range, the Palmetto Gun Club. The initiation fee is high, last time I checked it was $500.00, plus annual dues. There are two free 100 yard ranges in the National Forest, neither more than an hour away, plus two indoor ranges, one of which allows high power rifles.

All in all its a nice place to live. The climate is agreeable, if a little hot and humid in the summer, and the people are generally very friendly.

Visit http://www.sciway.net/ for info.

Good luck.

 

[TEDDY]

moving

I am new to the state of SC.2000. came from Mass.I live off I 95 near the lakes.I bought 90 acres.yes its hot but thats why they make air conditioners.
I want an indor range but none within my area.I too have my own shooting range.there is a good outdoor range in manchester forest. run by the NR.the state issues CCP so no worry about sheriffs.I dont have one. dont want one.
had one in Mass since 1944.left it.if you stay away from the bars and bad naborhoods your fine.if you want to drink and party go north.the best part is the realastate tax when you reach 65.there is a high ethnic culture.63 % where I am.and high unemployment.I got in with a vietnam vets group so made out.near the coast you get the storms and to far in you get the storms.
I have had only one snow storm and that was in 2001?fishing and hunting is the life here. unlimited bucks and sep 1 to jan 1 season.I rent my cropland and raise vegtables for the family.

 

[rcl5445]

You should try Kansas, the whole state is a long range shooting paradise.

 

[msgttbar]

Well, this is the only state that the Brady bunch has seen fit to warn visitors that they are vulnerable to locals with guns. Check out Northwest Florida for a good Conservative area to live.

 

[Evergreen]

WOW.. I really appreciate all the information that people have given me here. I received a lot more responses than I anticipated. Well, I think most people here have educated me a lot more about the situation down there, although I know I have a lot to learn.

Interesting that a few people from GA and FL included posts here. Well, I never thought much about GA, although FL was definately a place I considered. Yeah, maybe I will investigate some of those areas in GA.. I was told GA has some pretty crazy heat in the summer and I guess I keep thinking of Atlanta, when I think Georgia. One other reason I thought against Georgia was I thought the crime was higher and gun laws stricter, but I know there is lot of beautiful places in Georgia.

Well, from all the posts I received, I can sure see that the Carolinas are very shooter friendly and have lot of friendly helpful people. I guess I will have to look at costs of living, laws of the areas, shooting facilities and weigh which area looks most ideal. I will have to review these posts over again and I appreciate those who don't mind me asking them questions about the areas they live.

Where I live now is decent place for shooting, but I just want a change of culture, weather and scenery. I am not a fan of the cold weather and the 9 month non-stop perpetual rain (western Oregon) and I did spend some time on the equator, so I think I won't have a problem getting use to the humid heat. I guess Charleston sounded nice because I thought it had a more temperate climate year round, a beautiful beach and a lot of history. But never living there, I don't know what is in store for me. Sounds, like almost every place I may be interested in living has plenty of shooting facilities around. Where I live now is very desolate and a bit anti-social and its hard to get involved with shooting activities and meet other people . More times than not, I am the only one at my shooting range and I have to drive almost an hour to get there. I thought I be able to go there in winter, but I didn't realize how bad the weather in central Oregon can get, so I more or less cannot do much shooting until spring. It would be nice to be in place where you can shoot outdoors, year round. Indoor ranges where I live suck, so I would be happy to find a place that had variety of indoor and outdoor ranges.

Places like Asheville, NC do look very beautiful and scenic, but I guess I have heard rumors that its the San Francisco of the south. Perhaps a nice place to visit, but not live? I do live in the mountains now and I am not particularly big fan of snow. I am not a skiier and wouldn't mind warmer weather and some hot sunny summers. I would like to avoid living in swamps I guess, since those areas would attract the most bugs, this was one thing that turned me off to FL, in addition to a few other factors. For the most part I guess, gun laws in North Carolina seem on par with South Carolina? Or is South Carolina bit better? I do love the beach, but I am not really sure how your beaches are compared to FL or CA. It seems beach areas are more expensive. Having some land, a bigger house and saving money are factors I would consider. I would have to think about that.



I have a home business developing computer software and plan to start some side IT projects and consultancy. As of now, I am very flexible where I live, but obviously I would like to live in a nice place with lower taxes and where the cost of living isn't too high.

I will review the different areas. I am thinking I will do a trip to the south in March, April or so and just explore the different areas. It may be nice to meet a few folks who I can go shooting with to see what the ranges are like. I actually never have been to the south, so for me it will be a bit of an adventure. When I get more serious about going and time draws nearer I will try to communicate with people, as I probably will have more questions. It would be interesting to see what life is like down there and the scenery I am sure will be wonderful too.


One last thing, I am a bit surprised that NC & SC have stricter gun laws than Oregon. In ORegon I can carry my gun everywhere but the federal gov't and law enforcement buildings. No such restrictions on restaurants, bars, etc. Also, you don't have to get a permit for each gun you carry? IN Oregon my permit works for all my guns. Sometimes I carry two at a time. Oh well, I guess restrictions are something I have to get use to. Also, in Oregon I never had to take any 8 hour course. Do you think if I took an 8 hour course with Oregon Firearms Academy that it would qualify for a conceal weapon permit in NC & SC? I have a certifcate from that course and documentation proving I completed it with the gold level. Perhaps using that cerftificate is just wishful thinking?

 

[D Boone]

Just a heads up, everything in the low country is not swamp. Generally this is just around river basins. Check out the aerial photos of any land you want to buy, look for the local county GIS and turn on the flood plain layer. Pretty good indicator of where the swamps are.

 

[ny32182]

Permits here cover all pistols/revolvers less than 12" OAL or something. That would be covered in the course. Any normal service type pistol you can think of is well within the definition. I doubt your Oregon course would work, but you could ask I guess.

When I got mine I bought a "package deal" from a guy for $130 I think; he did the course, qualification, and provided everything needed to complete the application (fingerprints, photo, whatever else; it as been a while) and mailed it in, wait 90 days, your card shows up in the mail. It took one Saturday.

 

[ny32182]

Also, a renewal is every 5 years I think, and is a mail in form application and $50. You don't have to retake the course or fill out the full application (no need to redo photo or fingerprint).

When my permit came, I found they actually used the same photo from my DL, not the one I send in on the CWP app, so I don't know why they even need the photo in the first place.

 

[ranger335v]

"You want some advice? Stay away from NC, it's turning into a liberal, high tax hellhole. There's a good reason it's earning the nick-name, "The Massachusetts of the South"

As another Hendersonville, NC, resident, let me second that observation. This state has been dominated by the liberal party since the early 1800s, the party line has changed a lot but the domination of liberals is entrenched. High taxes are needed to cover gov. waste and rampant fraud. (The state senate leader was convicted and sentanced for taking and giving bribes for gov. influence a couple of years ago but it took a LOT of ground roots pressure to make it happen. And we have no known effort to learn who he had paid off for the legeslative help he paid for. NJ or Chicago gov misconduct has nothing on us!)

Asheville is totally controlled by imported "liberals" with funny accents and weird colored hair. I have two daughters who live there, local taxes are high and climbing, personal freedoms are steadily diminishing (all "for the common good" of course!). A few A'ville schools are still well run/taught, but most are "modern".

IF I didn't have all my kids and grandkids near by, I would head to SC in a minute. North of the Charleston area seems good, the hunting/fishing thereis MUCH better than in NC, the SC wildlife departments and their game wardens actually do some good! It's no hotter or buggier in SC than NC, except up here in the mountains.

 

[WNC Seabee]

"You want some advice? Stay away from NC, it's turning into a liberal, high tax hellhole. There's a good reason it's earning the nick-name, "The Massachusetts of the South"

As another Hendersonville, NC, resident, let me second that observation.

As YET another Hendersonville resident, I can 2nd (3rd?) that.....

I moved here from MI about 6 years ago (yes, I'm a transplant, don't hate the player...) and LOVE the area for...

- Mountain Scenery
- Backpacking/Hiking
- Fly Fishing (nope.....hold on.....wait...I mean there's NO fish here....)
- etc.

I actually LIKE Asheville...it's a great place for to walk around for dinner and watch the funny people. The liberal/crunchy types often make for great bar scenes, good food and decent entertainment.

I especially like that the Gun Show is held downtown so every now and then you get to walk the streets with an AK or AR slung over your back while the hippies freak out.

I have grown to really HATE NC politics. Our most recent former governor is under federal investigation, and that's just the tip of the iceberg for the corruption and waste. Our taxes are actually about average for the nation.

The town I live in, Hendersonville, is about 1/2 way between Asheville and Greenville, SC. We've got our issues but overall the vibe is very small town friendly. I really enjoy it. Of course, I brought my job with me when I moved here (and added a couple to the local economy as well....).

Shooting opportunities are surprisingly limited for an outdoors "southern" area. Closest public range is at least an hour away. The local club (Asheville Rifle & Pistol) is okay if all you're into is bench rest or bullseye.

All in all, the move was a HUGE improvement over Michigan in every way except the shooting sports.

BTW....seems like there's a bunch of us here from Asheville/Hendersonville. Let's get together and shoot something!

 

[syncmaster]

I actually just moved to Asheville. In case it helps I used http://www.movers-moving-companies.com/North_Carolina_NC/moving_company_North_Carolina.htm to find a moving company. I have to say, Ranger335's description is pretty spot on. Definitely a modern feel here.

 

[Tim the student]

If you like trap and skeet, Ft. Bragg (Fayetteville/nam) has one of the top facilities in the nation. Open to civilians.

 

[Crazy Carl]

You do NOT want to live in Cumberland county (Ft Bragg/Fayetteville). High crime, crazy insurance rates & horrible schools. Sheriff is also somewhat anti-2A. County is mentioned as one of 3 in the state where it is virtually impossible to obtain NFA toys.