Charleston, SC Area Intel Needed

[Bubba FAL]

Someone I know is contemplating a relocation to the Charleston, SC area (Ladson, to be exact).

He would be relocating from an area where just about everyone owns guns and hunts/shoots, local ranges are always busy, etc.

Can anyone tell me what the gun culture is like there in greater Charleston? Are there places to shoot? Are people with "black rifles" accepted or are people who own such things looked upon as NRA whackos?

He is pretty familiar with the culture "upstate" but hasn't spent much time "downstate".

Any intel would be appreciated.

[lethal dose]

Like the state of SC as a whole, it's very 50%/50%.

[HKGuns]

I don't know of the gun culture specifically. However, I lived in Ladson and it is a wonderful place to live, even though I was deployed a lot during my time there. The people are nice and the City of Charleston is a wonderful place for history. I highly recommend Charleston SC. Check the gun laws, people are people and there are all kinds everywhere.

[Bubba FAL]

That's good to know about Ladson. Spent time in Ft. Mill, Greenville-Spartanburg, and Cheraw, but outside of a short stay in Hilton Head years ago, no time in the "lower" part of the state. Oh well, not every place is gonna be like the Ozarks...

[buckshot1220]

I lived in Charleston for about 1.5yrs. I was in Mt. Pleasant, east of downtown over the river. Ladson is about a 40min drive from where I was. Ladson is much more "country" than the immediate area surrounding Charleston so there won't be any sort of booming social scene.

Gun culture is prevalent, but shops can be very overpriced. There are several indoor ranges and several clubs that scatter the low country, however, his best bet would be to get out to Boggyy Head or Twin Ponds which are both free, outdoor covered ranges in Francis Marion National Park. Boggy Head is a quick trip from Ladson. Though it can be packed with bubbas, if you time it right you can have a great time and sometimes have it all to yourself to run drills on.

North Charleston is the known high crime area of the low country, but he shouldn't just pick a neighborhood off a map either. Check crime maps, roll through the neighborhood etc. One thing I noticed living there is that there is not clearly defined bad/good areas. They change rapidly and without any obvious cause. Be very selective.

Downtown Charleston, Shem Creek and Sullivan's Island are some of the most beautiful and upbeat places to frequent with great history and great night life. Fort Sumter, Fort Moultrie, the USS Yorktown and the many Plantations/Gardens make for excellent day activities. If he likes to fish our boat, it cannot be beat.

Any reason he chose Ladson? Is that where his job is? I'd strongly recommend looking into Mt. Pleasant and sucking up the commute, especially if he is single.

[JoshNC]

I lived in Charleston for about 1.5yrs. I was in Mt. Pleasant, east of downtown over the river. Ladson is about a 40min drive from where I was. Ladson is much more "country" than the immediate area surrounding Charleston so there won't be any sort of booming social scene.

Gun culture is prevalent, but shops can be very overpriced. There are several indoor ranges and several clubs that scatter the low country, however, his best bet would be to get out to Boggyy Head or Twin Ponds which are both free, outdoor covered ranges in Francis Marion National Park. Boggy Head is a quick trip from Ladson. Though it can be packed with bubbas, if you time it right you can have a great time and sometimes have it all to yourself to run drills on.

North Charleston is the known high crime area of the low country, but he shouldn't just pick a neighborhood off a map either. Check crime maps, roll through the neighborhood etc. One thing I noticed living there is that there is not clearly defined bad/good areas. They change rapidly and without any obvious cause. Be very selective.

Downtown Charleston, Shem Creek and Sullivan's Island are some of the most beautiful and upbeat places to frequent with great history and great night life. Fort Sumter, Fort Moultrie, the USS Yorktown and the many Plantations/Gardens make for excellent day activities. If he likes to fish our boat, it cannot be beat.

Any reason he chose Ladson? Is that where his job is? I'd strongly recommend looking into Mt. Pleasant and sucking up the commute, especially if he is single.

Charleston and Sullivan's island are my favorite places in the US. Great history, incredible farm-to-table foodie scene (yes, that is important to me), great people overall, and a very nice climate (well, summer is brutally hot/humid). SC has good gun laws too. And it's waterfront. If I could live anywhere it would be Sullivan's.