Booze, guns may be banned from this popular S.C. lake area. Here’s where and why
New rules making their way through the S.C. Legislature would add new restrictions to a popular recreation area on Lake Murray, including new prohibitions on alcohol and guns along the lake.
The proposed regulations would prohibit the carrying of firearms or other concealable weapons on Bundrick Island, a popular recreation area for boaters and day trippers near the end of Old Cherokee Road, about eight miles northwest of the middle of Lexington. Alcoholic beverages will also be banned from the island if the new rules proposed by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources are approved by lawmakers.
Also banned under the new rules are hunting, all-terrain-vehicles and other off-road vehicles. Bicycles will be allowed on Bundrick Island only on designated trails. Public access to the island will be limited to the hours between sunrise and sunset, with exceptions for DNR-approved events, projects or campsites.
The new restrictions were approved by the S.C. Senate Fish, Game and Forestry Committee on Feb. 7. The proposed rules have yet to get a full vote in either the House or Senate, but the regulations would go into effect at the end of this year’s legislative session absent action from lawmakers, a DNR spokesman said.
At the Feb. 7 committee meeting, senators raised questions about whether similar DNR-owned properties might have gun restrictions, but agency officials said Bundrick Island was unique.
Sen. Ronnie Cromer, R-Newberry, indicated that a place called Sandy Beach on Bundrick Island is heavily crowded in the summer with weekend revelers.
“Sandy Beach, on Bundrick Island, on weekends, you can’t hardly get another boat in there, and everybody’s got a cooler, and by Dark 30, everybody is feeling very good,’‘ Cromer said.
Staff writer Sammy Fretwell contributed.
This story was originally published February 14, 2024 at 1:47 PM.
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