One of the most misunderstood aspects of the South is the value the region places on the personal possession of firearms. No doubt, the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed”) is well known here and fiercely protected, at the governmental and at the grassroots levels.

But while guns are indeed more casually accepted in everyday life in the South, the reason for this has less to do with personal safety than with the rural background of the region and its long history of hunting. If you’re traveling U.S. 17, for example, from Charleston to I-95, and you see a pickup truck with a gun rack in the back containing one or more rifles or shotguns, this is not intended to be menacing or intimidating. Chances are the driver is a hunter, nothing more.

State laws do tend to be significantly more accommodating of gun owners here than in much of the rest of the country. It is legal to carry a concealed handgun in South Carolina and Georgia with the proper permit, and you need no permit at all to possess a weapon for self-defense. However, there are regulations regarding how a handgun must be conveyed in automobiles. Both states now have so-called “stand your ground” laws, whereby if you’re in imminent lethal danger you do not have to first try to run away before resorting to deadly force to defend yourself.