I am not one to defend or condemn any state, contrary to the accusations some made.. Comparing personal freedoms and restrictions is not like comparing a Ford to a Chevy..
First and foremost, I am an American, not an Oregonian or Washingtonian or whatever. I'd only say I am an Oregonian so people know where I was raised. But, when people want to know my nationality and loyalty, it is to the country and I proudly say I am an American. Everything else is meaningless. I am not loyal to my state at all, I am loyal to my country, the same country my father and his father fought/served to defend.
So, on that note, I am scrutinizing the laws of every state and fairly assessing them. I am in no way defending the crappy laws here in the Pacific Northwest. In fact, there has been times I have been tempted to get out of here seeing the gun control legislation brewing in Multnomah and King counties that have affected the well-beings of both states. Nonetheless, I will give the Northwest respect where it is due and respect the freedoms we do have here and if other states are lacking those, I will be quick to point them out.
I am in no way loyal to Arizona, never lived or visited there and the 120 degree days would probably kill me. However, after researching the gun laws, I have to come to the conclusion that this is a state where I feel the rights of gun owners are respected and adheres to our 2nd Amendment more closely than most any other state.
Now, I was looking into relocating to the Greenville area, but then did an analysis of the gun laws. In my head, I always thought South Carolina "Red State", Washington/Oregon "Blue State", so, therefore, South Carolina must be better. I was as blind in my thinking as some others who hadn't bothered to look deeply into the laws. It was a rude awakening as I started reading on forums about this restriction and that restriction. After reviewing the laws I found certain gun control legislation to be overbearing and it had nothing to do with the state, culture , but the unconstitutional and threatening laws, themselves.
So, Seattle, passed a gun and ammo tax that is still in limbo in courts after a rogue liberal Seattle judge said it is constitutional. Guess what? I will not live in the city limits of Seattle and I don't want any of my money going to that city. This is the same reason I refuse to live in the city limits of Portland, which also makes its own unconstitutional gun laws.
Regardless of all the great things about South Carolina gun laws, the gun control laws South Carolina has are so threatening I feel they outweigh the good. In fact, with the type of laws they have, I would more or less not even bother conceal carrying in that state, assuming I am a guy who wants to be a law abiding citizen. No, I will not tell every person who's house I enter that I have a gun. Not only is it humiliating, but just telling someone you have a gun could be seen as a threat in, itself, in this current day and age. And, what is to stop a person from calling the police on the person conceal carrying after he announces he has a gun, saying "There is a man with a gun on my property!" I'm assuming the laws are spelled out that the gun cannot be brought into the home, but I still question if people can face risks for even being on their porch or going through a gate, etc.
As well, the restriction on open carrying not only will hamper me when I want to go for hikes in the back country, but it also opens up the dangerous potential for brandishing charges. In Washington, if someone sees your gun and calls the cops, it is not a crime, as long as you are not intimidating anyone. I would think In South Carolina, if your gun is exposed at all, you can be arrested for open carry/brandishing violations due the way this law is laid out. I cannot confirm that this would indeed be the outcome, but the more gun control laws on the books, the less rights and more potential for incrimination you could face.
Sam really has done a good job explaining most of my concerns in his posts. There is never anything good about more government regulations, especially in the realm of gun control and gun violation laws. I am happy so many trust their state governments, but I, myself, mistrust the government, even the "good" governments. I feel the foundations of our country and Constitution were established with this very mindset, that we have checks and balances to protect us from authoritarian control. Who is to say these laws cannot be abused and used to push for much more far reaching gun control legislation. This is why things like gun taxes, as Seattle is imposing, are haunting. What will stop them from imposing a $5,000 gun tax on each gun so that nobody can own them. In the same way, what if some rogue South Carolina politican decides that carrying a gun into a person's home unannounced should become a felony or could be used to wrongly to push for assault with deadly weapon charges against a gun owner. When you are arrested for gun violations you are already in hot water.
I guess to go even farther, I feel a person has every right to carry a gun into a person's house. The owner of the house has every right to tell the person to leave. However, think of this situation. Your daughter gets invited to go to someone's house for a party. At the party a guy pulls your daughter into the room and attempts to rape her. Do you think this never happens? Seriously, much more often than you think. Would you have wanted your daughter to be armed or unarmed in this private residence? How would the reception have been, "Oh I have a gun, can I come in and attend the party." Is this what we call a free society? If they make a declaration that no guns are allowed in the home, then she should leave. But, assuming this is a law abiding American citizen going to somebody's home, I feel the person has the right to defend themselves, even in a person's home. Same goes for a private business (which is also private property). You should not have to announce you have a gun every single place you go. This is not freedom and puts a person in danger and an impossible situation.
One person wrongly commented your rights do not exist when you enter a person's home. That is absolutely absurd. We are still in America and we still have a considerable amount of rights even in the private home of a person. For example, the person cannot just go and club you to death, rape you or rob you if they want to. That violates several laws, even if in the residence of the home owner. Why is that? Because you have constitutional rights and freedoms even in a person's home. The one right a homeowner or business owner does have is to tell you to leave. And, you must comply with such an order or you will infringe upon the homeowner's rights. But, in my opinion, until you are told to leave, you have the rights and freedoms to do anything legal on the premises of that person's property, until you are commanded to do otherwise. At that point, you should leave the premises. This is why we have trespassing laws. There is no need to turn people into felons or gun violators. Guns are no more evil than knives, baseball bats, pornography (guns serve a good purpose, unlike porn, some may disagree, LOL), satanic t-shirts, etc. If you cannot become a sex offender for bringing legal porn into someone's home, you shouldn't become a gun offender for bringing a legal gun into someone's home.