§ 1. “Machine gun” defined. – Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina: For the purposes of this Act the word “machine gun” applies to and includes all firearms commonly known as machine rifles, machine guns and sub-machine guns of any caliber whatsoever, capable of automatically discharging more than eight cartridges successively without reloading, in which the ammunition is fed to such gun from or by means of clips, disks, belts or other separable mechanical device. § 2. Transportation of Machine Gun. – It shall be unlawful for any person or persons in any manner to transport from one place to another in this State, or from any railroad company, or express company, or other common carrier, or any officer, agent or employee of any of them, or any other person acting in their behalf knowingly to ship or to transport form one place to another in this State in any manner or by any means whatsoever, except as hereinafter provided, any firearm as described hereinabove or commonly known as a machine gun. § 3. Storing, Keeping, and/or Possessing Machine Gun. – It shall be unlawful for any person to store, keep, possess, or have in possession, or permit another to store, keep, possess, or have in possession, except as hereinafter provided, any firearem of the type defined above or commonly known as a machine gun. § 4. Selling, Renting or Giving away Machine Gun. – It shall be unlawful for any person to sell, rent, or give away, or be interested directly or indirectly, in the sale, renting or giving away, or otherwise disposing of any firearm of the type above described or commonly known as a machine gun. § 5. Exceptions – Register Machine Guns. – The provisions of this Act shall not apply to the army, navy or marine corps of the United States, the National Guard, and organizations authorized by law to purchase or received machine guns from the United States, or from this State, and the members of such corps. National Guard and organizations while on duty or at drill, may possess, carry and transport machine guns, and, Provided, further, That any peace officer of the State, counties or political sub-division thereof. State Constable, member of the Highway patrol, railway policemen, warden, superintendents, headkeeper or deputy of any State prison, penitentiary, workhouse, county jail, city jail, or other institution for detention of persons convicted or accused of crime, or held as witnesses in criminal cases, or persons on duty in the postal service of the United States, or common carrier while transporting direct to any police department, military or naval organization, or persons authorized by law to possess or use a machine gun, may possess machine guns when required in the performance of their duties, nor shall the provisions of this Act be construed to apply to machine guns kept for display as relics and which are rendered harmless and not useable. Within thirty days after the passage of this Act every person permiteed by this Act to possess a machine gun or immediately after any person is elected to or appointed to any office or position which entitles such person to possess a machine gun, shall file on the office of the Secretary of State on a blank to be supplied by the Secretary of State on application therefor, an application to be properly sworn to, which shall be approved by the Sheriff of the county in which the applicant resides or has its principal place of business, which shall include the applicants name, residence and business address, description including sex, race, age weight, height, color of eyes, color of hair, whether or not ever charged or convicted of any crime, municipal, State or otherwise, and where, if so charged, and when same was disposed of. The applicant shall also give the description including the serial number and make the machine gun which he possesses or desires to possess. Thereupon the Secretary of State shall file such application in his office, registering such applicant togther with the information required in the application in a book or index to be kept for that purpose, and assign to him a number, an dissue to him a card which shall bear the signature of the applicant, and which he shall keep with him while he has such machine gun in his possession. Such registeration shall be made on the date application is received and filed iwth the Secretary of State, and shall expire on December 31, of the year in which said license is issued. § 6. Penalty – Any person violating any of the provisions of this Act shall be guilty of a felony, and, on conviction thereof shall be sentenced to pay a fine not exceeding One Thousand Dollars, and undergo imprisonment by separate or solitary confinement at labor not exceeding twenty (20) years.