I need to check if a string contains a special character. I have used regex for other fields, but for this it won't stop the form from being submitted if there is no special character. Whether i use a `!` or not, it always skips this.

```
if (str.search(/[^\!\@@\#\$\%\^\&\*\(\)\_\+\.\,\;\:]/) == -1) {
   alert("Your password must contain at least 1 special character.");
   e.preventDefault();
   return ("bad_char");
}

```