Laws In Pennsylvania

**MistWolf** · 07-22-14, 08:25

The place I worked at has closed it's doors and I need to be Coatesville Pennsylvania bright & early Monday morning for a new job. Any crazy gun laws I should be aware of? Anything affecting AR pistols? I currently have no NFA items.

Thanks

**Voodoo_Man** · 07-22-14, 08:52

PA is pretty good.

As long as you have a CCW you can conceal carry and transport firearms. AR pistols cannot be loaded however, unless you are a LEO. So keep the pistol unloaded. Otherwise you should be good. Open carry is legal, with restrictions to schools, certain areas and courts. You need not have a CCW to OC but do need one to transport a firearm from one place to another. (Unless to range, etc)

**MistWolf** · 07-22-14, 13:12

Does a Washington State CCW count?

**DreadPirateMoyer** · 07-22-14, 13:26

Originally Posted by Voodoo_Man

PA is pretty good.

As long as you have a CCW you can conceal carry and transport firearms. AR pistols cannot be loaded however, unless you are a LEO. So keep the pistol unloaded. Otherwise you should be good. Open carry is legal, with restrictions to schools, certain areas and courts. You need not have a CCW to OC but do need one to transport a firearm from one place to another. (Unless to range, etc)

Not true at all on most counts.

If you have a PA LTCF (license to carry firearms), you can conceal and/or transport any loaded non long-gun, and can transport unloaded long guns. You can carry anywhere except courts, schools, and federal property (even other government buildings, bars, and in Philadelphia). If you have an out-of-state license/permit that is reciprocated in PA, it counts the same as a PA LTCF and you don't have to worry about any other laws. Open carry without a license is also legal everywhere in PA except Philadelphia, where it requires a license/permit (though transport is still an issue; don't OC while driving without a license). Essentially, you can open carry almost everywhere without a license except Philly, and you can concealed/open carry almost everywhere with a license except courts, schools, and federal property. It's pretty simple.

If you don't have a license or reciprocated license/permit, PM me for a few of the nuances on transport/carry.

An AR pistol is still a pistol, and so long as it's under 26" in overall length, you may carry it as if it were a pistol (loaded, concealed, whatever). It doesn't have to be kept unloaded, there is no weird LEO exemption, and it's treated just like any other handgun by state law. There's no statutory language about AR pistols, and I'm not sure where Voodoo got his info on this one.

PA also has state pre-emption, and our gun laws (especially with regards to concealed carry) are top 10 in the nation, so don't worry about running afoul of local ordinances or having to change transport at county lines. You're good to go anywhere in the state on everything except the Philadelphia exception to OC without a license.

**Voodoo_Man** · 07-22-14, 13:29

Originally Posted by MistWolf

Does a Washington State CCW count?

I believe PA does not honor WA state permits.

So....either dont carry or if your gana be a resident get one.

**DreadPirateMoyer** · 07-22-14, 13:32

Originally Posted by Voodoo_Man

I believe PA does not honor WA state permits.

So....either dont carry or if your gana be a resident get one.

True: http://www.pafoa.org/law/carrying-fi...ry/reciprocity

With this info in hand, I would recommend not carrying guns with you. That said, you can apply for an out of state license while in PA.

**CoryCop25** · 07-22-14, 13:32

As far as I know you can now open carry in Philly.
Coatsville is a shit hole so keep your head on a swivel.
A new law in PA requires a permit from your HOME STATE. So in PA, your carry permit has to be the same state as your driver's license.
There is a web site, I think it's www.usacarry.com that will tell you what states allow other state's permits.