How buying a gun in Myrtle Beach works
Pick an FFL dealer near you that accepts shipped transfers and name it at checkout. We confirm their license and ship the firearm to them. Ammunition, optics and parts ship straight to your door where South Carolina law allows.
South Carolina has no permit to purchase, no firearm registry and no state waiting period. At a licensed dealer you show photo ID, fill out ATF Form 4473 and the dealer runs a federal NICS background check; a current South Carolina concealed weapons permit is accepted by many dealers in place of that check. Federal law sets the dealer minimum at 18 for rifles and shotguns and 21 for handguns, and state law bars handing a handgun to anyone under 18. Private sales between residents need no state background check, but selling to a person you know cannot legally own a gun is a crime.
Dealers in these communities all work for Myrtle Beach-area buyers:
- North Myrtle Beach
- Conway
- Surfside Beach
- Socastee
- Little River
- Murrells Inlet
- Aynor
- Loris
- Garden City
- Carolina Forest
Carrying a gun in Horry County
Since the Constitutional Carry Act took effect on March 7, 2024, anyone 18 or older who may lawfully possess a firearm can carry it openly or concealed in South Carolina without a permit, and may store a firearm anywhere in a vehicle. SLED still issues the concealed weapons permit, and many people keep one for reciprocity in other states and for quicker dealer purchases. Carry stays barred in schools, courthouses, polling places, detention facilities, daycares, hospitals and doctors' offices, government meetings, places of worship without permission and any property posted with a compliant sign.
Hunting near Myrtle Beach
South Carolina is split into four game zones. The Midlands and the Lowcountry sit in Game Zone 3, where deer season on private land runs August 15 to January 1, archery and guns are both legal from opening day, and it is bucks only until September 14. Game Zone 4 in the Pee Dee opens to guns September 1. Game Zones 1 and 2 in the Upstate run archery September 15-30, primitive weapons October 1-10 and guns October 11 to January 1. Any legal firearm may be used for deer, every deer must be tagged, and the harvest goes into SC Game Check by midnight.
Horry County is in Game Zone 4, where private-land gun season opens September 1. The Waccamaw River bottoms and Lewis Ocean Bay hold deer and hogs, and black bear are present along the coastal plain, so check SCDNR's current coastal bear rules.
Behind the beachfront the county is farmland, Carolina bays and river swamp, with the Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve and the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge close at hand.
Public shooting ranges near Myrtle Beach
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources runs a small set of public ranges, most of them free and open Tuesday through Saturday, and the U.S. Forest Service keeps unsupervised rifle ranges on the Sumter and Francis Marion national forests. Forest Service ranges on the Enoree and Long Cane districts need a daily or annual range pass for each shooter 16 and older, and hours at every range change with scheduled hunts and holidays.
Source: SCDNR public shooting range pages and U.S. Forest Service Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests recreation listings, September 2026. Distances are approximate; call or check the agency site before you drive out.