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CWP in PA
- Thread starter dtaski
- Start date
I see you are (most likely) from York County? Congratulations. I enjoyed the few years I lived there, just off Arsenal Road in York itself.
One bit of advice I feel I must give you - the police in Philly take an especially dim view of concealed weapons and even though it is perfectly legal for you to carry there, if they are alerted to your presence, they will quite likely do everything they can to make the remainder of your stay in the city of Brotherly Love less than enjoyable.
One bit of advice I feel I must give you - the police in Philly take an especially dim view of concealed weapons and even though it is perfectly legal for you to carry there, if they are alerted to your presence, they will quite likely do everything they can to make the remainder of your stay in the city of Brotherly Love less than enjoyable.
Armorer-at-Law
New member
No. When you buy from a licensed dealer, there is a form that you fill out (4473) that is kept by the dealer and background check. That does create a "paper trail" that can show that the gun was transferred to you at one time, but that is not a central registry.The handgun is NOT registered in my name when purchased ?
I thought it was when they run the background check ?
In most states, you can sell/give/loan that firearm to someone else who is also a resident of that state without creating this paper trail.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Form_4473
Indeed there is a paper trail. Buying from a dealer means that your name, address, other specifics, and the make/model/serial# of the firearm are written down and posessed by your FFL. It is unlikely that that paperwork will ever leave the back room filing cabinets of your FFL, but it's there... and is destroyed in time.
Some states do actually require you to "register" some/all/certain firearms with the state itself, a "registry" is typically available to law enforcement agencies in that state. PA does not have any kind of registry.
PA does not require an FFL for sale/transfer of long-guns, but does require it for handguns. Some states have sticky language in their laws that very specifically spell out what constitutes a "transfer" or "loan" and how they apply to family members and non-family members. Handing your pistol to your girlfrriend to CC may constitue a "transfer" in PA depending on how the law is written. For example, it may be perfectly legal to hand her a gun at a licensed gun range to shoot with, but giving it to her on the street means you are actually "giving it to her" and that posession=ownership (again, depending on what the law says), which would be bad because you didn't transfer ownership through an FFL.
My suggestion would be for her to get her own gun, but if that's not in the cards, reasearch PA law or contact a firearms attorney who can give you the straight scoop.
Indeed there is a paper trail. Buying from a dealer means that your name, address, other specifics, and the make/model/serial# of the firearm are written down and posessed by your FFL. It is unlikely that that paperwork will ever leave the back room filing cabinets of your FFL, but it's there... and is destroyed in time.
Some states do actually require you to "register" some/all/certain firearms with the state itself, a "registry" is typically available to law enforcement agencies in that state. PA does not have any kind of registry.
PA does not require an FFL for sale/transfer of long-guns, but does require it for handguns. Some states have sticky language in their laws that very specifically spell out what constitutes a "transfer" or "loan" and how they apply to family members and non-family members. Handing your pistol to your girlfrriend to CC may constitue a "transfer" in PA depending on how the law is written. For example, it may be perfectly legal to hand her a gun at a licensed gun range to shoot with, but giving it to her on the street means you are actually "giving it to her" and that posession=ownership (again, depending on what the law says), which would be bad because you didn't transfer ownership through an FFL.
My suggestion would be for her to get her own gun, but if that's not in the cards, reasearch PA law or contact a firearms attorney who can give you the straight scoop.
spacecoast
New member
One bit of advice I feel I must give you - the police in Philly take an especially dim view of concealed weapons and even though it is perfectly legal for you to carry there, if they are alerted to your presence, they will quite likely do everything they can to make the remainder of your stay in the city of Brotherly Love less than enjoyable.
Interesting, bounce this anecdote against the "Do I inform or not" thread. Seems like a good reason not to inform.
Armorer-at-Law
New member
Who'd have though that PA had such backward laws, but it looks like any transfer of a handgun (with a few exceptions) has to go through an FFL (i.e., licensed dealer):
18 Pa.C.S. § 6111: Sale or transfer of firearms
* * *
(c) Duty of other persons.--Any person who is not a licensed importer, manufacturer or dealer and who desires to sell or transfer a firearm to another unlicensed person shall do so only upon the place of business of a licensed importer, manufacturer, dealer or county sheriff's office, the latter of whom shall follow the procedure set forth in this section as if he were the seller of the firearm. The provisions of this section shall not apply to transfers between spouses or to transfers between a parent and child or to transfers between grandparent and grandchild.
* * *
(f) Application of section.--
(1) For the purposes of this section only, except as provided by paragraph (2), "firearm" shall mean any weapon which is designed to or may readily be converted to expel any projectile by the action of an explosive or the frame or receiver of any such weapon.
(2) The provisions contained in subsections (a) and (c) shall only apply to pistols or revolvers with a barrel length of less than 15 inches, any shotgun with a barrel length of less than 18 inches, any rifle with a barrel length of less than 16 inches or any firearm with an overall length of less than 26 inches.