Legal age to purchase an AR-15 in South Carolina?

[jojo200517]

I'm going to start by saying i'm 22 so this doesn't apply to me personally but it still does cause me a great deal of concern about our 2nd amendment rights.

Ok folks I have looked around the net and the general information I am able to find says that you have to be 18 to purchase long arms (shotguns and rifles) and 21 to purchase pistols.

As I walked about in the local Academy sports store in Spartanburg SC today I passed by the gun counter looking for .45 acp ammo, and browsing the revolver selection I looked up at the Black rifle display and noticed some tags I had never seen before. They said something to the effect of "remember you must be 21 to purchase this item" (i really regret not taking a picture of the tag with my phone). I looked closely and if you haven't guessed it by the title of this thread the tags were on most all of the AR-15 type rifles. The one it was noticeably absent from was the SIG-556, the .22lr version(not sure the manufacture on this one), and the Remington R15. I also noticed they didn't seem to make a difference between tactical models or base models in the others.

I posed a question to the clerk as to why you had to be 21 to buy the bushmaster or S&W AR-15's but not to buy the SIG or R15. He was like umm what? (total confusion spread across his face) I asked if it was some new store policy or what. He replied he guessed it was the law but he didn't know. I asked the manager that was at the counter and his reply was, well thats the way it is now. :banghead:

As far as I could tell none of them were in fact pistol models and I know quiet a few were not due to barrel length and fixed rear stock. I'm also pretty dang certain there were no SBR's.

Is this some new state or federal law or just some ass-a-nine store policy?

 

[combat_master]

Its definately a store thing. May just be some mislabeling, at my academy here in Arkansas nothing has that label on it(well last I checked was 2 months ago). I hope a law like that never passes.

 

[jojo200517]

Its definately a store thing. May just be some mislabeling, at my academy here in Arkansas nothing has that label on it(well last I checked was 2 months ago). I hope a law like that never passes.

Well the labels were not there last week when I was in. It may have been mislabeled but if it was they screwed up on like 20 of them.

 

[EP1990]

I also live in SC. Only have to be 18 to buy an AR at all my local gun shops. Btw I live in Rock Hill, so about an hour drive from where you were at. I have not heard off anything like that anywhere. That doesn't make sense at all seeing as they just reduced the age to 18 for buying handguns on private sale (birthday present to myself when they did that was an S&W m&p .40). Probably just some ass-a-nine store policy.

 

[JimKirk]

http://www.nraila.org/statelawpdfs/SCSL.pdf

JK

 

[combat_master]

That doesn't make sense at all seeing as they just reduced the age to 18 for buying handguns on private sale (birthday present to myself when they did that was an S&W m&p .40).

How does that work EP1990? I am very interested.

And Jimkirk, whats SC rules on carrying a rifle? In the state of arkansas you need a permit to carry a loaded handgun but none to carry a loaded rifle. But my city has local laws that forbid that, and you need a locked case at all times.

 

[Al Thompson]

CM, it's pretty simple. You have to be 21 for a handgun and 18 for a long gun purchase from a FFL. For a person to person transfer/purchase in SC the buyer has to be 18, handgun or long gun.

As regards the AR, sounds like a store policy to me.

 

[BurningSaviour]

Was it an NFA firearm, like an SBR or transferrable Class III firearm? That could be a reason.

 

[ny32182]

I *really* doubt that an Academy has any NFA items sitting around... never been in one, but everything I know about them indicates they are just a standard national big box sports/outdoor store like Sports Authority, etc, correct?

I bought my first AR15 before 21. Sounds like store policy. Just tell your friend to order from a dedicated gun store.

 

[jojo200517]

Was it an NFA firearm, like an SBR or transferrable Class III firearm? That could be a reason.

No there a big box store sporting goods type store, not a class 3 dealer. If they had been transferable class 3 full auto's going for 800 to 1200 bucks the rifles would have sold so fast the tags would have been floating mid air cartoon style. I guess the thing I found oddest of all was the fact that it was almost as if they threw the tags on there at random not getting all of them.

I suppose that just because the law allows you to purchase it that they are in no way forced just by being a FFL dealer to sell it to you. Seems to me like they shouldn't be able to do this but since they are a private business I guess they can.

Edit: thanks for the link JimKirk, I might just keep a copy of that in my car next time i'm in there i'll leave it with the employees, instead of bashing them maybe I should work to educate them.

 

[ny32182]

Yeah, personally I wouldn't give anyone there a hard time about it... probably some across the board "corporate policy"; they may operate in states where you need to be 21 to purchase that rifle and want to minimize legal interpretation and policy differences between locations... etc.

Big box stores stocking EBRs at all is a good thing, not a bad thing...

 

[combat_master]

CM, it's pretty simple. You have to be 21 for a handgun and 18 for a long gun purchase from a FFL. For a person to person transfer/purchase in SC the buyer has to be 18, handgun or long gun.

Does anyone know the rule in Arkansas?

In SC when you buy a handgun at an FFL isn't there a state/nation/or atleast store record that the handgun belongs to you? So do you need to do any additional paper work when you sell it to an 18 year old?

Is there any crazy loophole where I can build my SBR at age 18? I have my brand new PWS gas piston AR 10 inch receiver sitting in a closet here.

 

[HOLY DIVER]

jojo i live 5 min from academy in spartanburg i'll have to stop by and check that out i've never noticed the tags before

 

[Al Thompson]

So do you need to do any additional paper work

It's all ways a good idea to know who purchased a firearm from you. I like to record their name, phone number, driver's license number and address. I have a cheap blank book that you can buy for 10 bucks or so in a bookstore. The data goes in the book and the book is stored with my other important documents.

 

[JimKirk]

Here are some links to read about SC gun laws, I'm sure there are other better ones, but here is a start:

http://www.sled.sc.gov/SCStateGunLaws1.aspx?MenuID=CWP

http://www.sled.sc.gov/cwp.aspx?MenuID=CWP

http://www.scstatehouse.gov/CODE/t23c031.htm

I've only read SC law enough to know that Georgia's CCW permit is not recognized, sorry.

Jimmy K

 

[TehK1w1]

The Academy near my house in Houston does the same thing. They restrict sales of ARs and "tactical" shotguns to people 21 and over. The mouth-breather I talked to about it insisted that it was state law, and told me that he had just taken an in-store test of some kind that stated it! (There is no such law here in TX).

 

[combat_master]

Thanks for the help al thompson and jimkirk,
And to answer my question. There is no way of legaly making/getting an SBR at age 18, you have to wait till 21.

 

[MachIVshooter]

That doesn't make sense at all seeing as they just reduced the age to 18 for buying handguns on private sale

It has always been that way. And there is no minimum age for long guns in private sales.

Is there any crazy loophole where I can build my SBR at age 18? I have my brand new PWS gas piston AR 10 inch receiver sitting in a closet here.

No. 21 for any NFA stuff. And I hope you don't have a rifle lower to go with that ten incher. They can nail you with constructive possession.

 

[CleverNickname]

No you're wrong MachIVshooter, 18-20 year-olds can build NFA firearms for their own use on a form 1, and may also transfer NFA firearms directly from another non-FFL who's a resident of the same state on a form 4. The >=21 year old requirement is only when an FFL is involved.

 

[combat_master]

No. 21 for any NFA stuff. And I hope you don't have a rifle lower to go with that ten incher. They can nail you with constructive possession.

Yup, I was sure not to ever bring an AR lower into my house, unless its a pistol lower. Just another 3 years. Damn.

 

[jojo200517]

Yeah, personally I wouldn't give anyone there a hard time about it... probably some across the board "corporate policy"; they may operate in states where you need to be 21 to purchase that rifle and want to minimize legal interpretation and policy differences between locations... etc.

Big box stores stocking EBRs at all is a good thing, not a bad thing...

I don't plan on creating a scene or anything but it irritates me that they can get by with this. I agree them stocking them is a good thing, but telling people they can't buy them when they legally can just because some pencil pusher in a corporate office thinks its a good idea is about the same as not having them.

It just bugs me that private businesses can violate our constitutional rights whenever they get ready to. I guess I'll just take my business elsewhere from now on and encourage anyone I come across to do the same. I'll also contact the NRA and my local congressmen and see what they think about it.