2020 South Carolina Code of Laws
Title 16 - Crimes and Offenses
Chapter 25 - Domestic Violence
Section 16-25-10. Definitions.

As used in this article, the term:

(1) "Deadly weapon" means any pistol, dirk, slingshot, metal knuckles, razor, or other instrument which can be used to inflict deadly force.

(2) "Great bodily injury" means bodily injury which causes a substantial risk of death or which causes serious, permanent disfigurement or protracted loss or impairment of the function of a bodily member or organ.

For validity of (3), see Editors' Notes below.

(3) "Household member" means:

(a) a spouse;

(b) a former spouse;

(c) persons who have a child in common; or

(d) a male and female who are cohabiting or formerly have cohabited.

(4) "Moderate bodily injury" means physical injury that involves prolonged loss of consciousness or that causes temporary or moderate disfigurement or temporary loss of the function of a bodily member or organ or injury that requires medical treatment when the treatment requires the use of regional or general anesthesia or injury that results in a fracture or dislocation. Moderate bodily injury does not include one-time treatment and subsequent observation of scratches, cuts, abrasions, bruises, burns, splinters, or any other minor injuries that do not ordinarily require extensive medical care.

(5) "Prior conviction of domestic violence" includes conviction of any crime, in any state, containing among its elements those enumerated in, or substantially similar to those enumerated in, Section 16-25-20(A) that is committed against a household member as defined in item (3) within the ten years prior to the incident date of the current offense.

(6) "Protection order" means any order of protection, restraining order, condition of bond, or any other similar order issued in this State or another state or foreign jurisdiction for the purpose of protecting a household member.

(7) "Firearm" means a pistol, revolver, rifle, shotgun, machine gun, submachine gun, or an assault rifle which is designed to fire or is capable of firing fixed cartridge ammunition or from which a shot or projectile is discharged by an explosive but does not include an antique firearm as defined in 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(16).

HISTORY: 1984 Act No. 484, Section 1; 1994 Act No. 519, Section 1; 2003 Act No. 92, Section 3, eff January 1, 2004; 2005 Act No. 166, Section 1, eff January 1, 2006; 2015 Act No. 58 (S.3), Pt II, Section 2, eff June 4, 2015.

Validity

For validity of (3) of this section, see Jane Doe v. State of South Carolina, 421 S.C. 490, 808 S.E.2d 807 (2017), rehearing granted (Nov. 17, 2017).

Effect of Amendment

2015 Act No. 58, Section 2, rewrote the section, adding (1), (2), (4), (5), (6), and (7); and in (3), changed the paragraph designators from numbers to letters.