Laws In Pennsylvania

[MistWolf]

Ok, if PA doesn't reciporcate WA (and currently WA is not my home state) what do I need to watch out for?

What happens if an AR pistol is over 26 inches long? Mine is 29 counting flash supressor

[CoryCop25]

no OC without a permit in phila.

OK, so you can OC but need a permit. Copy

[CoryCop25]

Ok, if PA doesn't reciporcate WA (and currently WA is not my home state) what do I need to watch out for?

What happens if an AR pistol is over 26 inches long? Mine is 29 counting flash supressor

Just keep it unloaded with ammo somewhere else. PA doesn't really care what kind of gun you have. If you are moving to PA, get a driver's license and apply for a permit at your County Courthouse and you should have it in 45 days.

[Voodoo_Man]

Just keep it unloaded with ammo somewhere else. PA doesn't really care what kind of gun you have. If you are moving to PA, get a driver's license and apply for a permit at your County Courthouse and you should have it in 45 days.

"Unloaded, secure and not stored with ammo."

Is how it should be.

[BoringGuy45]

Ok, if PA doesn't reciporcate WA (and currently WA is not my home state) what do I need to watch out for?

Make sure if you're driving and you have a gun in the car, it's unloaded and locked up. Even if it's openly on your hip, the car is considered concealment and you can get hooked up for that if you don't have a CCW. Both resident and non-resident permits are shall issue and only about $20. You get it through the sheriff's office. If you're going to be living in Chester County, the sheriff there is very pro-gun and getting your permit quickly shouldn't be a problem. Honestly, it was harder for me to get my driver's license than it was to get my CCW.

PA is very gun friendly, with maybe the exceptions of Philly and its suburbs. The liquor laws and hunting laws are a little weird, and our DMV is among the worst, but the 2nd Amendment is alive and well and has survived some very anti-gun governors unscathed. The PAFOA would have you believe that we're going to make California's laws look like Arizona's by years' end when Tom Wolf gets elected, but most of the people here are either pro-gun or simply don't have a problem with guns. We're one of the last remaining bastions of 2nd Amendment freedom in the Northeast.

[Voodoo_Man]

Make sure if you're driving and you have a gun in the car, it's unloaded and locked up. Even if it's openly on your hip, the car is considered concealment and you can get hooked up for that if you don't have a CCW. Both resident and non-resident permits are shall issue and only about $20. You get it through the sheriff's office. If you're going to be living in Chester County, the sheriff there is very pro-gun and getting your permit quickly shouldn't be a problem. Honestly, it was harder for me to get my driver's license than it was to get my CCW.

PA is very gun friendly, with maybe the exceptions of Philly and its suburbs. The liquor laws and hunting laws are a little weird, and our DMV is among the worst, but the 2nd Amendment is alive and well and has survived some very anti-gun governors unscathed. The PAFOA would have you believe that we're going to make California's laws look like Arizona's by years' end when Tom Wolf gets elected, but most of the people here are either pro-gun or simply don't have a problem with guns. We're one of the last remaining bastions of 2nd Amendment freedom in the Northeast.

That's not written in stone....

[Ick]

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.

Live in PA here. This is accurate. Get a CCW ASAP to clean up any possible problems.

Never heard of the "AR pistol must be unloaded" rule. Would love to see where this idea came from. That claim doesn't sound right to me at all.

[CoryCop25]

"Unloaded, secure and not stored with ammo."

Is how it should be.

Yeah, that's what I meant. Give me a break, lots of night work, not enough sleep!

[Inkslinger]

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

If you're in Coatesville, carry as many guns as you can. I grew up in and around Coatesville. It's a shit hole. Good luck to you. Besides that, PA is a pretty gun friendly state.

ETA: That sounded harsh. The city of Coatesville is the shit hole. Coatesville is a big area though. The outlying areas are typical suburban/country.

[Inkslinger]

Live in PA here. This is accurate. Get a CCW ASAP to clean up any possible problems.

Never heard of the "AR pistol must be unloaded" rule. Would love to see where this idea came from. That claim doesn't sound right to me at all.

If it's a "pistol" I would imagine it fall under the definition of firearm as pertaining to the CCW. So if you don't have a CCW, it's probably a no no. SBR's are perfectly fine to carry loaded with CCW.