Men and women returning home from war have come to Blu Gorilla Tattoo looking for body art, but owner Tim Dennis said he's had to turn some of them away because state law deems them too young to make the choice on their own. South Carolina's strict tattoo law requires adults ages 18, 19 and 20 to have their parent's permission to get a tattoo, but that consent could be eliminated if a bill before the Legislature becomes law this year. "The guys want to honor their friends who got killed over there and we couldn't even do that," Dennis said. To him, it seems odd that the same person is able to fight in Iraq or Afghanistan, he said. "One of the older cats said, 'Sometimes you have to protect people from themselves.' I think that is absolutely ridiculous," Dennis said. The first tattoo shops in South Carolina opened in March 2006 after the late Sen. Bill Mescher, R-Pinopolis, spent 10 years trying to get the state to lift a ban from the 1960s. Right now, 79 tattoo shops are in business. Lifting the age restriction is one of two proposed changes to the tattoo law before lawmakers. The other bill would allow tattoo shops to sell merchandise, which is currently not allowed. Rep. David Umphlett, R-Moncks Corner, introduced a bill that would allow tattoo parlors to sell T-shirts, nose rings or other merchandise. He said the legislation would not change the law that tattoos and body piercing must be offered in separate facilities. "With the economy the way it is, this gives them the opportunity to make some money," Umphlett said. The other bill, sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, and Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston, was prompted by constitutional concerns. The state Supreme Court decided in May 2008 that a law prohibiting people younger than 21 from owning a handgun was unconstitutional. Legislators are concerned that age restrictions on tattoos would not survive a court challenge. A Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs subcommittee chaired by Rep. Joe Jefferson, D-Pineville, voted Wednesday to send the bills to the full committee for consideration. Umphlett's bill would need to be approved by the House and Senate before it could go to Gov. Mark Sanford for his signature. The Senate passed the bill lifting the age restriction last year. It still needs a vote on the House floor. "Lets get it done," Dennis said.
By Yvonne Wenger
Post and Courier
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