CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA — South Carolinians with a Concealed Weapons Permit (CWP) can now step foot into an alcohol serving establishment with their concealed handgun. They cannot, however, drink and carry. This new bill was signed into law by South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and it comes with a stern reminder.

via NBC4i

“This is not a guns in bars bill, it was never a guns in bars bill. It is illegal to carry and consume alcohol. It was yesterday, it will be tomorrow,” said Governor Haley.

So, what’s the purpose of allowing concealed carriers in bars then? Easy — an added measure of security and the ability to keep a designated battle buddy.

We have designated drivers, we have all sorts of people who keep a clear head for the times we can’t or won’t and self-defense shouldn’t be any different.

This isn’t a measure to turn a Friday night drink into a Friday night drink and carry. This bill does give us the ability to legally defend ourselves and our family. We should put it to good use.

As we’ve found out from the Orlando shooting, soft targets are all the rage for bad guys looking for a body count. A bar or nightclub is an ideal place to shoot up because law-abiding carriers who are enjoying the night are probably not going to come armed. That leaves it in the hands of other lesser bad guys and those who take a gray stance on the law to defend themselves.

While we don’t anticipate any heroes emerging because of this bill, it’s one more measure that we believe is meant to be a deterrence to bad guys with an axe to grind. If you’re a bad guy and you think heading into a bar to target patrons is a good idea, now you’re going to have to contend with that which you cannot see — the concealed carrier.

However, according to that same bill, restaurants and bars are still allowed to ban firearms. This will include those with a South Carolina CWP. So, if you’re in South Carolina, make sure to pay attention to signs indicating whether or not a gun is allowed on the premises. As much as it pains us to say, law abiding citizens follow the law. Criminals, unfortunately, are under no such auspices.