Perks of owning property in PA, some tax related questions (rental, home)

[Trucker7]

One big clarification. Open Carry is legal throughout PA, except in Philadelphia. To carry in Philly, openly or concealed, you'll need a LTCF. In the rest of the state, open carry is legal without a license while on foot.

To the OP, if you plan on bringing handguns to PA, the license to carry firearms (LTCF) is only $25 and you don't have to show need. As long as you don't have a criminal record or other disqualifying factors, they have to approve you. It will make your life a lot easier.

Here's the application with instructions:
http://www.co.venango.pa.us/Sheriff/license_to_carry.pdf (broken link)
I got mine in Lackawanna and it took 15 minutes from the time I handed the application, to the time I walked out with my LTCF. If only the DMV were that efficient.

[r11]

The OP (me) is still very confused and I guess I will need to do some legwork after I close on the house.

What I was hoping for is that me owning a house in PA, albeit a vacation home, I could then buy, keep and practice shoot/hunt, all in PA and PA only, with a firearm that I'd acquire squarely based on what PA resident is entitled to - as in a utterly pain free process, compared to NJ insanity.

It is still not clear to me if and how it can be accomplished 100% legally, w/o breaking some obscure section/subsection of some law somewhere.
What a PITA....

Originally Posted by Trucker7

One big clarification. Open Carry is legal throughout PA, except in Philadelphia. To carry in Philly, openly or concealed, you'll need a LTCF. In the rest of the state, open carry is legal without a license while on foot.

To the OP, if you plan on bringing handguns to PA, the license to carry firearms (LTCF) is only $25 and you don't have to show need. As long as you don't have a criminal record or other disqualifying factors, they have to approve you. It will make your life a lot easier.

Here's the application with instructions:
http://www.co.venango.pa.us/Sheriff/license_to_carry.pdf (broken link)
I got mine in Lackawanna and it took 15 minutes from the time I handed the application, to the time I walked out with my LTCF. If only the DMV were that efficient.

[LNTT_Vacationer]

Originally Posted by r11

The OP (me) is still very confused and I guess I will need to do some legwork after I close on the house.

What I was hoping for is that me owning a house in PA, albeit a vacation home, I could then buy, keep and practice shoot/hunt, all in PA and PA only, with a firearm that I'd acquire squarely based on what PA resident is entitled to - as in a utterly pain free process, compared to NJ insanity.

It is still not clear to me if and how it can be accomplished 100% legally, w/o breaking some obscure section/subsection of some law somewhere.
What a PITA....

Me too! Worse, now I'm unsure whether it's legal to purchase a rifle in NJ and bring (and store it) in a PA vacation home.

[mathjak107]

dont get confused, to summerize:

a pa drivers license or dmv id card is required to buy any firearms in pa, period. nothing else is acceptable unless you already have a pa ccw permit...

you cant get a pa license or dmv id card with out surrendering your out of state license to the pa dmv.

if your primary residence is not really in pa then if you get a pa drivers license you are committing both insurance fraud and tax fraud.

that wraps up the story for pa.

if you have a nj hand gun id card your firearms must be stored at the address on your id card or if going to a range the trip must be direct to the range with no stop overs and back to the address on your nj firearms id card.


if you bring your handguns into pa and go to your house in pa your in violation of the terms of your permit and hence you are not in legal possesion of your guns.

pa law states while a permit is not required in pa for residents the guns must be legally owned and possesed. since you violated your permit terms by leaving new jersey and going to your pa house your guns arent legally possessed.

got this right from the new jersey state police when i inquired if my son can bring his guns from new jersey and shoot at the range down the road from our pa house.

[mathjak107]

Originally Posted by Trucker7

One big clarification. Open Carry is legal throughout PA, except in Philadelphia. To carry in Philly, openly or concealed, you'll need a LTCF. In the rest of the state, open carry is legal without a license while on foot.

To the OP, if you plan on bringing handguns to PA, the license to carry firearms (LTCF) is only $25 and you don't have to show need. As long as you don't have a criminal record or other disqualifying factors, they have to approve you. It will make your life a lot easier.

Here's the application with instructions:
http://www.co.venango.pa.us/Sheriff/license_to_carry.pdf (broken link)
I got mine in Lackawanna and it took 15 minutes from the time I handed the application, to the time I walked out with my LTCF. If only the DMV were that efficient.

you still need the pa drivers license or id card... while they will issue LTF licenses to out of state residents they will not issue a license unless your state issued you a full carry. if you have no full carry from another state most localities in pa will not issue you a non resident LTF.

[frank754]

I'd like to get a carry permit also (mostly for keeping one in the car), I did have one in NY in the 80's, but that long expired.
My wife and I have only been in Luzerne County since the end of June, and I'm hesitant of asking any neighbors to be a reference, since we have only known them a few months. That may seem a bit presumptuous to them for such a short time.
Hopefully, once I get to know a few people from my new job, they might be "candidates". What do you think, is it presumptuous to ask the neighbors (mostly elderly women), or would they most likely sign without hesitation?

[fisheye]

Originally Posted by frank754

I'd like to get a carry permit also (mostly for keeping one in the car), I did have one in NY in the 80's, but that long expired.
My wife and I have only been in Luzerne County since the end of June, and I'm hesitant of asking any neighbors to be a reference, since we have only known them a few months. That may seem a bit presumptuous to them for such a short time.
Hopefully, once I get to know a few people from my new job, they might be "candidates". What do you think, is it presumptuous to ask the neighbors (mostly elderly women), or would they most likely sign without hesitation?

frank754,

Several years ago I was renewing my carry permit at Monroe County's Sheriffs’ office. There was a retired NY policeman in front of me. He had only lived in PA for a few months. Sheriff Sebring told him he would not issue him a carry permit - he did not live here long enough for proper references. The retired policeman questioned our Sheriff and the Sheriff told him to come back after one year (with good references).

I don’t know how your county handles references? Apparently our local sheriff had his fill of retired police demanding carry permits. The sheriff was still angry when he issued my permit.

Call your local Sheriff's office and ask what is their policy.

[frank754]

Thanks fisheye, I'm in no hurry, but it's in my eventual plan. I will do as you said, and see what they have to say.

[Trucker7]

Originally Posted by mathjak107

you still need the pa drivers license or id card... while they will issue LTF licenses to out of state residents they will not issue a license unless your state issued you a full carry. if you have no full carry from another state most localities in pa will not issue you a non resident LTF.

Ahhh, the NJ loophole. You're right, to get a PA non-resident LTCF you need to have a LTCF or CCW from your home state, unless your home state doesn't issue CCWs at all. Since NJ technically is a may-issue state, then PA requires you to have it, even though you're more likely to see the Jersey devil in person than to ever see a NJ LTCF.

Florida (Concealed Weapons or Firearm Program - Division of Licensing, FDACS) issues non-resident CCW through the mail, and it is valid in PA. They send you an application, along with fingerprint cards that you have to send back along with proof of training.

[varmintblaster]

Trucker & Others Interested:

I received answers from 3 people who should be in the know (2 Pa State Troopers) and a Kidder Twp Cop who happens to also work at a FFL gun shop.

I asked them if a NJ resident with a NJ ccw permit can carry a loaded handgun in a vehicle...
( I made no reference to the gun regs we discussed earlier)

Both of the State Police stated no due to the fact that there is no reciprocity between the states and that a NJ resident's ccw would be invalid if they crossed their state lines into Pa with a loaded handgun. - similiar to what Mathjak stated.

Both of them stated that they would confiscate the gun and arrest the gun owner.

They did mention that if the handgun was unloaded and stored separate from the ammo in a locked compartment (trunk) and that the person was traveling on an interstate highway across Pa with the intention of passing through they would be legal according to federal statutes.

The Kidder Twp cop said that the NJ gun owner with ccw would be legal in Pa. if carrying a loaded gun in a vehicle.

Who knows what the real answer is?
In most cases when dealing with the PoPo, and they are wrong, you will have to hire a high priced lawyer to find out.

My point is that folks better dot their I's and cross their T's before they travel across state lines.

In my case, I cannot even transport an unloaded handgun to my camp in upstate NY, because my final destination is within NY - very unfriendly handgun state. If I was traveling to Vermont, I would be able to transport through NY with the gun unloaded in the trunk..

Please check, double check, and triple check because the consequences can be severe.