Pennsylvania Gun Laws
Gun Laws Overview
RIFLES & SHOTGUNS | HANDGUNS | |
---|---|---|
Permit to Purchase | No | No |
Registration of Firearms | No | No |
Licensing of Owners | No | No |
Permit to Carry | No | Yes |
The list and map below are included as a tool to assist you in validating your information. We have made every effort to report the information correctly, however reciprocity and recognition agreements are subject to frequent change. The information is not intended as legal advice or a restatement of law and does not include: restrictions that may be placed on non-resident permits, individuals under the age of 21, qualifying permit classes, and/or any other factor which may limit reciprocity and/or recognition. For any particular situation, a licensed local attorney must be consulted for an accurate interpretation. YOU MUST ABIDE WITH ALL LAWS: STATE, FEDERAL AND LOCAL. Pennsylvania does not recognize non-resident permits or licenses from Arizona, Florida, Mississippi, Utah and Virginia. Pennsylvania only honors North Dakota Class 1 permits. |
STATE STATUS | |
---|---|
Castle Doctrine | Enacted |
No-Net Loss | No Legislation |
Right to Carry Confidentiality | Provisions Enacted |
Right to Carry in Restaurants | Legal |
Right To Carry Laws | Shall Issue |
Right To Carry Reciprocity and Recognition | Conditional Recognition |
Right to Keep & Bear Arms State Constitutional Provisions | With Provisions |
Laws on Purchase, Possession and Carrying of Firearms
Definition of Firearm
The Pennsylvania Uniform Firearms Act defines “firearm” as “any pistol or revolver with a barrel less than 15 inches, any shotgun with a barrel less than 18 inches, any rifle with a barrel of less than 16 inches or any pistol, revolver, rifle or shotgun with an overall length of less than 26 inches.” However, several sections of the law include a broader definition that includes all firearms, i.e. handguns, rifles and shotguns, and pertains to that section only. The distinction should be closely noted when interpreting the statutes. |
Purchase
Any individual or dealer selling a handgun is required to sell or transfer it at the place of business of a licensed dealer or county sheriff’s office. Transfers of all firearms (handguns, rifles and shotguns) by a licensed dealer are subject to an instant records check of the purchaser. The purchaser must sign a transfer application/record of sale for the purchase of a handgun. No transfer application/record is necessary to transfer a rifle or shotgun. There is a $2 fee for the instant check and a $3 firearm sale surcharge to cover telephone costs. Transfers of handguns between spouses, parent and child, grandparent and grandchild or between active law enforcement officers are exempt from the above requirements. Rifles and shotguns may be transferred between unlicensed individuals. Antique firearms are exempt from the requirements regarding transfer of firearms through dealers. MORE |
Possession
No license is required to possess rifles and shotguns, or to possess handguns in one’s home or place of business. It is unlawful for the following to possess a firearm: MORE |
Carry
It is unlawful to possess any firearm: MORE |
Transportation in a Vehicle
A handgun being transported in a vehicle without a license to carry must be unloaded and must be carried under one of the exceptions listed above under ‘Carry.’ Rifles and shotguns may be transported in a vehicle as long as they are unloaded. MORE |
Antiques
“Antique firearm” means: MORE |
Machine Guns
Most items that are required to be registered under the National Firearms Act such as machine guns, suppressors, short barreled rifles and shotguns, are prohibited in Pennsylvania as “offensive weapons” unless they are registered under the NFA. MORE |
Preemption
18 PA. STAT. ANN. §6120 (2011) |
Range Protections
35 PA. STAT. ANN. § 4501 (2011) |
Miscellaneous Provisions
The state legislature has preempted the field of firearm regulation. No county, municipality or township may in any manner regulate the lawful ownership, possession or transportation of firearms, ammunition or ammunition components when carried or transported for purposes not prohibited by the laws of the Commonwealth. MORE |
Tuesday, December 7, 1999
After years of catch and release crime fighting, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports on a new program in that ...
Monday, November 1, 1999
World War II veteran Clair Wallingford was in his Appenzell, Pennsylvania, general store one afternoon when a man ...
Thursday, October 14, 1999
Pittsburgh and Philadelphia newspapers write today on the announcement by Attorney General Mike Fisher that Pennsylvania will be ...
Friday, October 1, 1999
Bartender Shannon Allen had no way of knowing that cutting off a patron at her workplace, E-Jay's Tavern ...
Tuesday, June 1, 1999
When two armed bandits set out to carjack a man in Philadelphis early one morning, one was permanently ...
Saturday, May 1, 1999
Bucks County, Pennsylvania, resident Robert Ipri came to the rescue of a bleeding 12-year-old boy one Friday afternoon ...
Saturday, May 1, 1999
A masked, knife-wielding would-be robber found himself befuddled by his intended victims' lack of cooperation one Sunday night. ...
Monday, February 1, 1999
When Scranton, Pennsylvania, cab driver Thomas Ristics was dispatched to pick up a second fare, the man already ...
Sunday, November 1, 1998
A 27-year-old Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pizza delivery man was taking an order to what turned out to be a ...
Tuesday, September 1, 1998
When two men attempted to rob 43-year-old auto mechanic Thomas Ellerbee as he walked to his Philadelphia home ...