South Carolina prohibits any person from transporting a machine gun within the state.¹ Keeping, storing, possessing, selling, renting, or giving away a machine gun are also generally prohibited activities, unless the possessor is authorized to possess a machine gun by the federal government, among other exceptions.²

Federal law requires machine guns to be registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), and generally prohibits the transfer or possession of machine guns manufactured after May 19, 1986.³

South Carolina allows persons in dangerous professions, such as law enforcement, corrections, or the military, among others, to possess a machine gun if the person registers the machine gun per state law.⁴ In addition, the state issues special limited licenses for the possession, transportation and sale of machine guns to: 1) authorized representatives of a machine gun manufacturer or dealer engaged in demonstrating and selling such guns to agencies authorized by law to possess them; or 2) persons engaged in professional movie-making or providing services to professional movie-makers who use machine guns for special effects purposes.⁵

 See our Machine Guns policy summary for further information. 

1. S.C. Code Ann. § 16-23-220.[↩]
2. S.C. Code Ann. §§ 16-23-230, 16-23-240, 16-23-250.[↩]
3. 18 U.S.C. § 922(o); 26 U.S.C. § 5861(d).[↩]
4. S.C. Code Ann. § 23-31-330. [↩]
5. S.C. Code Ann. § 23-31-370.[↩]