Well I started shooting bow & gun right after exiting the womb…so I’ll try to break our laws down for you.
They’re pretty simple laws, but some can be difficult to understand, especially our open carry laws here. By the way, the website that Juggernaut mentioned for the PAFOA is an excellent resource for these laws when you need to brush up. Hopefully my long-butt post won't be totally useless to you!
1.)
Registration: Registration of your firearm is not required here in PA. In fact, it is illegal here for any government or police agency to maintain a registry of firearm owners. Pennsylvania gun owners buck government interference as much as possible…though certain governors don’t seem to get that message as of late. Regardless, once the firearm is in your possession you’re set. No registration required. Ownership is the only requirement. Handguns cannot be purchased until age 21, but other firearms can be bought once a person turns 18. Juveniles may even possess firearms in our state as long as they are supervised by an adult and/or engaging in hunting or trapping activity. The only sticky issue that you can run into here is transferring ownership of a gun...but you don't need to know that now. The PAFOA site has plenty of info on that if you need it in the future.
2.)
Carrying Permits: I know you didn’t address permits in your question but I wanted to talk about it nonetheless (just ‘cause I’m a girl who likes her guns!
)
In general,
concealed carry permits are very easy to get here in PA. Just head on down to your County Sheriff's Office (or the Gun Permits & Tracking Unit @ the Philadelphia Police Department if you live in that area) and pick up the application. The fee will be anywhere from $25-60, depending on what county you live in, and they must either approve or deny the application within 45 days. You will have to return the application with a passport-sized photograph attached and you should be all set once your background check is complete. Pennsylvania is a “shall-issue” state with regard to carrying permits, meaning that they must approve your permit request unless they can prove you are disqualified under the law (e.g. mental issues, a felony conviction, domestic violence charges etc.) Once issued, your concealed permit will be good for five years and will be honored in any county of PA, as well as any state that recognizes our permits. And contrary to popular rumor the permit must be honored by all counties here
including Philadelphia County. Philly lawmakers have attempted to change this law in the past, and have spread rumors to combat the permits, but have been unsuccessful in changing the law for their little entitled "paradise" part of the state. (Sorry if anyone is from Philly...I have a problem with the lawmakers, not the citizens!)
By the way, carrying your firearm in your vehicle is usually considered a concealed carry as well under normal circumstances. So be sure you have your permit before transporting your firearm in this manner. Exceptions exist to this part of the law (for LEOs, military, hunters etc.) so study the PAFOA's website for those provisions.
However,
open carry here is a different story and this is where our laws aren’t very clear cut. In Pennsylvania it is completely legal to open carry, but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you live in a very rural area or are well known and on good terms with your local law enforcement and Statie (State Police) troop.
OK, so this is why…Pennsylvania law doesn’t say that open carry is
legal, but it also doesn’t say that it’s
illegal. Because the issue is not directly addressed it is therefore considered completely legal to open carry here by de-facto law.
But due to the average law enforcement officer not being well versed on the open carry law and the entire issue being a grey area, you may still get some extra attention from law enforcement officials where you live. And even if they do know the law well you may still be detained, especially in urban areas with a high crime rate, like Harrisburg (and I don't blame them for doing it there!) They can’t arrest you, not legally for the open carry, but they
can claim that you are disturbing the peace (or that you’re causing a public nuisance) and arrest you for those offenses. The Sheriff can then also strip you of your concealed carry permit if they can prove that your open carry actions were dangerous, or that you’re mentally unstable. While it's rare in non-urban areas for this to happen, it has still happened on occasion. And with the crime in some of our larger cities I don't blame LEOs for taking these actions at times! So you can see that our open carry law is poorly established and leaves a lot up to interpretation.
What it breaks down to is that you just need to be smart about it. An LEO in Juniata, Perry or Clearfield counties probably won’t even bat an eye if he see’s you walking down the sidewalk with a 22 slung over your shoulder. (Nor will a Gettysburg LEO if he sees you in full Civil War reenactment garb with a 58 Springfield Musket slung onto your shoulder!
) But an LEO in Harrisburg, Pittsburgh or Scranton will probably stop you for a little chat. So just play it safe and get your permit so you can conceal at all times possible (or you could wear camo & orange hunting clothes year round! You may just get away with it then
). The exception to the unregulated open carry are "cities of the first class," of which Philadelphia is our only one, and you will require a permit to open carry there as well.
In general PA is a very diverse state with respect to our urban and rural areas, and it shows in how some laws are enforced, not enforced or completely disregarded.
It's a very good reason for why we've earned one of our lesser-known state nicknames…Pennsyltucky.
Gun Purchases & Classes: Pennsylvania has some of the best gun dealer shows around and they are held several times a year all over the state. The two I like are, of course, in my immediate area. The Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg and the York Fairgrounds in York, PA are home to two of the best in the state, but the same promoters that do those two shows also do shows in other areas of PA. Check out
http://www.gunshows-usa.com/penn.htm]Pennsylvania to find a show going on in your area. There’s more than enough here to visit! Personally, I prefer to buy from show dealers as I've always gotten a better price. However, if you’re not familiar with prices I would recommend visiting your local gun dealer, Gander Mountain/Bass Pro/Cabellas and/or Gunbroker.com, so that you can become familiar with prices of new and used pieces. Going to several locations will definitely help you sort out what a fair price should be. But in the end unless you know someone who sells or can get a great sale price at another place, I would definitely do your purchases through a dealer at a gun show. I have
never met an unscrupulous dealers at these shows, but there are always a few in all walks of life. So learn your makes, models and fair prices before buying at a show (or at any location where you don't have someone standing behind you and giving advice).
As far as classes I can’t tell you where to go, only because I don’t know your location. But I know of plenty classes in my own area, and there are usually NRA classes offered by NRA-affiliated dealers or organizations all over the place. These are the classes that I prefer to take, but then I’m a card-carrying member and it's just my preference. I've seen a few classes offered by the PA Game Commission...but usually the bulk of their classes are Hunter Safety courses.
The store/range that I go to offers some great NRA classes, like “Basic Pistol Intro,” “First Steps,” and “Personal Protection.” But I would start with the NRA’s website and see if you can find any classes in your area. This will be your best bet...
NRA Basic Firearm Training
Sorry for the longest post in history but like I said before, I loves my guns!
And I like sharing my knowledge with newcomers to our state. (However if I’ve made any mistakes, someone feel free to correct my post.)
I hope you enjoy gun ownership in our state. I lived in San Diego myself for several months and I
know you’ll like our laws much better! But remember…if you have to use your gun for defense, it will be no good to you without practice and familiarity with the weapon. So keep going to the range and practice, practice, practice. We all hope to never have to defend ourselves with our firearms…but to own one and not know how to utilize it properly makes it useless. Treat your weapon as an extension of yourself and you’ll end up a safe and well trained owner. The Marines say it best in their creed...
“This is my rifle.
There are many like it, but this one is MINE.
My rifle is my best friend. It is my life.
I must master it as I must master my life.
My rifle without me is useless.
Without my rifle I am useless."
Though you need not be quite as devoted, every gun owner should definitely take that first verse as a bit of good advice. Treat your Glock the same as the leathernecks treat their rifles and you’ll definitely enjoy your gun-owning days in Pennsylvania.
The only other states with gun owner-friendly laws as good (or better) than ours are definitely Vermont, Alaska, Texas, Montana and Indiana. (Yes! Indiana! Check it out!)
I'm happy to live in a state that has a 2nd Ammendment provision in the state constitution, because there are a few states that don't! So avoid being a citizen of New York, New Jersey, Minnesota, Maryland, Iowa and California at all costs if you don't want your 2nd Ammendment rights trampled.
Oh and your choice of gun manufacturer's is also excellent. The only rival (just in my opinion) to the quality of America-made guns is the quality of those made in Germany and Austria. Darn good choice...enjoy it and good luck!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Morphous01
Hay, I just moved here to Pa and I wish to buy a glock just to shoot at the range (SO FUN) and to protect myself inside of my home.
So my questions are:
What do I need to do in Pa as far as paperwork/test/background check to be legally able to own a gun?
Where should I buy a new glock?
Where can I take classes to learn how to clean and operate the gun.
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