by Harold Hutchison
A South Carolina homeowners’ association (HOA) stunned residents by announcing firearms would no longer be permitted in “shared property” areas, a Myrtle Beach TV station reported.
The management of Forest Pines Condominiums announced that the complex’s pool, clubhouse, sidewalks and parking areas would be among the places where firearms, whether openly or concealed, would no longer be permitted, according to WMBF News. The ban caused a backlash from residents, who questioned the legality of the decision.
“What if I go out at night and I’m like walking, so if I get mugged, are they now financially responsible because I was not permitted to protect myself in the middle of the street?” an unidentified female resident asked WMBF News after receiving the email.
“We’re not in an apartment building where you have a lobby that you have to walk through. No, it’s my house. I don’t rent it; I own it,” the resident added.
State law requires that certain signs need to be posted in order for concealed carry to be prohibited, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. The HOA has not posted any signs prohibiting firearms, WMBF News reported.
“South Carolina is a constitutional carry state, like you can’t do that, and there is literally no signage at the pool, there’s no signage at the clubhouse, there’s no signage anywhere, and they can’t tell somebody where you can or cannot carry your gun in the neighborhood,” the resident said.
South Carolina became a constitutional carry state in 2024, after Republican Gov. Henry McMaster signed the legislation into law. Prior to that, it was a “shall issue” state when it came to concealed weapons permits.
A similar ban by a HOA in Florida drew fire from Republican Attorney General James Uthmeier in May.
Uthmeier said in a letter to the HOA that its “employees cannot be terminated or discriminated against for exercising their constitutional right to keep and bear arms. Similarly, any person visiting the common areas–residents, potential residents, and guests alike– are invitees…and cannot be expelled for exercising their constitutional right to keep and bear arms.”
“This is not New York or California. In Florida, the right of the people to keep and bear arms ‘shall not be infringed,'” he added.
Uthmeier said on social media, “Tradition Community Association, Inc. is on notice: Enforcement of its discriminatory policy against anyone for exercising the constitutional right to keep and bear arms will be met with legal action by my office.”
CAMS Management, the company running the HOA of Forest Homes Condominiums, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Republican South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson and Republican South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette did not immediately respond when reached for comment by the DCNF.
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Harold Hutchison is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation. Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network and contributed to this story.
