Pennsylvania Gun Laws (2026): LTCF, PICS, Crawford & 18 Pa.C.S. § 6109

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Last updated April 2026 · By Nick Hall, CCW instructor tracking Pennsylvania’s License to Carry Firearms (LTCF) under 18 Pa.C.S. § 6109, the PICS background check system run by Pennsylvania State Police, the Crawford v. Commonwealth (2024) preemption ruling, and the ongoing Lara case on age 18-20 carry rights

Disclaimer: This is an editorial round-up of Pennsylvania gun laws. We do our best to make sure it’s correct, but do not rely on this as legal advice. Pennsylvania firearms law has shifted in 2024-2026 between the Crawford preemption ruling and Lara age-21 litigation. Consult a Pennsylvania-licensed firearms attorney for any specific question.

Pennsylvania Gun Laws in 2026: What You Need to Know

TL;DR: Pennsylvania gun laws in 2026 sit in the moderate-to-permissive tier with one big asterisk: there is no constitutional carry, and Philadelphia is treated differently from the rest of the Commonwealth. A License to Carry Firearms (LTCF) under 18 Pa.C.S. § 6109 is required for concealed carry statewide and for any carry in Philadelphia (including open carry). LTCF is shall-issue through the county sheriff for a $20 fee, age 21+, valid 5 years, with a 45-day decision window. Open carry is legal without a permit elsewhere in the state for adults 18+. Background checks for handguns run through PICS (Pennsylvania Instant Check System), operated by the Pennsylvania State Police; private long-gun sales do not require a check. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court unanimously upheld state preemption under 18 Pa.C.S. § 6120 in Crawford v. Commonwealth (November 2024). No magazine cap, no assault weapons ban, no red flag law. Stand Your Ground codified at 18 Pa.C.S. § 505(b)(2.3). Universal background check bill HB 1593 passed the PA House in September 2025 and is awaiting Senate action.

Pennsylvania gun laws have a peculiar two-tier structure. Most of the state operates as a moderately permissive shall-issue jurisdiction with strong preemption, full Castle Doctrine, codified Stand Your Ground, no AWB, no magazine cap, and no red flag law. But Philadelphia, the only “city of the first class” under Pennsylvania statute, runs by different rules under 18 Pa.C.S. § 6108. Inside city limits you cannot carry openly without an LTCF, and the LTCF is the only legal vehicle for any street carry. I hold a PA LTCF myself and the Philadelphia rule catches more travelers off guard than any other quirk in the state.

The biggest legal development of the past two years was Crawford v. Commonwealth, decided unanimously 6-0 by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in November 2024. The court rejected Philadelphia’s and Pittsburgh’s challenge to the state firearm preemption law (18 Pa.C.S. § 6120), confirming that no county, municipality, or township in Pennsylvania can regulate the lawful ownership, possession, transfer, or transportation of firearms. That ruling killed Philadelphia’s local registration push and ended the Pittsburgh assault-weapons ordinance debate.

The other moving piece is Lara v. Commissioner Pennsylvania State Police. The Third Circuit ruled in January 2024 that Pennsylvania’s restrictions on 18-to-20-year-olds carrying firearms during a declared state of emergency are unconstitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court vacated that opinion after Rahimi and remanded for reconsideration. The Third Circuit reaffirmed its ruling in January 2025. The case is technically still in motion, but as a practical matter the state has not enforced the age 18-20 emergency carry restriction since 2024.

Pennsylvania is a unicorn on background checks. Handgun sales (FFL or private) require a PICS check run by the Pennsylvania State Police. Long gun private sales do not. That asymmetry has been the legislative battleground for two decades, and HB 1593 (passed the PA House September 30, 2025) would close it with universal checks. As of April 2026 the bill is awaiting state Senate action.

Whether you live in Pennsylvania, are moving here, or are just passing through, this page covers the 2026 rules with statute citations and official sources. PA gun laws sit within our broader U.S. gun laws by state hub.

Pennsylvania Gun Laws: The Highlights

TL;DR: Pennsylvania gun laws require an LTCF for concealed carry under 18 Pa.C.S. § 6109 (shall-issue, $20, age 21+, sheriff-issued, 5 years), allow open carry without a permit outside Philadelphia, run handgun background checks through PICS, codify Stand Your Ground at 18 Pa.C.S. § 505(b)(2.3), enforce strong state preemption under 18 Pa.C.S. § 6120 (upheld in Crawford 2024), and have NO magazine cap, NO assault weapons ban, and NO red flag law.

• License to Carry Firearms (LTCF) required for concealed carry statewide under 18 Pa.C.S. § 6109. Shall-issue through county sheriff (chief of police in cities of the first or second class). Age 21+, $20 fee, 45-day decision, valid 5 years.
• Open carry is legal without a permit for adults 18+ in most of Pennsylvania. NOT in Philadelphia (city of the first class) under 18 Pa.C.S. § 6108. NOT in a vehicle without LTCF. NOT during a declared state of emergency without LTCF (18 Pa.C.S. § 6107).
• Background checks for handgun purchases run through the Pennsylvania Instant Check System (PICS), operated by Pennsylvania State Police. PICS handles both dealer and private handgun transfers. Long-gun private sales do not require a PICS check.
• Strong state preemption under 18 Pa.C.S. § 6120, unanimously upheld by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in Crawford v. Commonwealth (November 2024). No county, municipality, or township may regulate firearm ownership, possession, transfer, or transportation.
• Castle Doctrine and Stand Your Ground codified at 18 Pa.C.S. § 505. The 2011 Castle Doctrine Act (Act 10 of 2011) added the no-duty-to-retreat language at § 505(b)(2.3) for actors not engaged in criminal activity who are in a place they have a right to be.
• No magazine capacity limit. No assault weapons ban. No red flag law / extreme risk protection order statute. PA is one of a shrinking number of Northeastern states without any of these.
• NFA items (suppressors, SBRs, SBSs, machine guns registered before May 1986) legal with federal ATF approval. Pennsylvania does not add a state-level NFA layer.
• Pennsylvania honors LTCFs from approximately 31 reciprocity-agreement states. The Pennsylvania Attorney General maintains the official list. Non-residents can apply for a Pennsylvania LTCF only if their home state issues a comparable license, or none at all.
• Universal background check bill HB 1593 passed the Pennsylvania House on September 30, 2025. The bill would extend PICS to long-gun private sales. As of April 2026 the bill is in the state Senate; passage uncertain.
• Lara v. Commissioner Pennsylvania State Police: Third Circuit ruled (Jan 2024, reaffirmed Jan 2025) that Pennsylvania’s age 18-20 emergency-carry restriction is unconstitutional. State has not enforced since.

For the official state resource, see the Pennsylvania State Police Firearms page and your county sheriff’s LTCF office.

Key Information at a Glance

License to Carry Firearms (LTCF): 18 Pa.C.S. § 6109

TL;DR: Pennsylvania’s License to Carry Firearms under 18 Pa.C.S. § 6109 is the only legal path to concealed carry statewide and the only legal path to any street carry inside Philadelphia. Shall-issue through the county sheriff (chief of police in cities of the first and second class), $20 fee, age 21+, no training requirement, 45-day decision window, valid 5 years.

18 Pa.C.S. § 6109 Pennsylvania License to Carry Firearms (LTCF)

A license to carry a firearm shall be for the purpose of carrying a firearm concealed on or about one's person or in a vehicle throughout this Commonwealth. Any person of good character may be issued a license to carry a firearm if such person: (1) is 21 years of age or older; (2) has not been convicted of a crime enumerated in section 6105 (relating to persons not to possess, use, manufacture, control, sell or transfer firearms); (3) is not a habitual drunkard; (4) is not addicted to or an unlawful user of marijuana or a stimulant, depressant or narcotic drug; (5) is not a person whose character and reputation is such that the person would be likely to act in a manner dangerous to public safety; (6) does not currently suffer from a mental illness which would interfere with safe handling of firearms. The sheriff to whom the application is made shall: (1) investigate the applicant's record of criminal conviction; (2) investigate whether the applicant's character and reputation are such that the applicant will not be likely to act in a manner dangerous to public safety; (3) investigate whether the applicant would be precluded from receiving a license under subsection (e)(1).

Eligibility under § 6109(e):

• Age 21 or older
• Pennsylvania resident, OR a non-resident from a state that issues a comparable license OR a non-resident from a state that does not issue a license at all
• No felony convictions or other firearm-disabling convictions
• No misdemeanor convictions for drug offenses or violent offenses within the disabling window
• Not adjudicated mentally incompetent or involuntarily committed
• Not subject to a current Protection From Abuse (PFA) order with firearm restrictions
• Not a habitual drunkard
• Not subject to active arrest warrants
• Of sound character (sheriff has limited discretion to deny on this ground; denials are appealable)

Pennsylvania does NOT require a training course or competency demonstration for the LTCF. That is unusual among shall-issue states. The application is a one-page form available from the issuing sheriff’s office. Fingerprints are not required for the standard LTCF (they are for non-resident applications). The fee is set by statute at $20 for an initial application and $20 for renewal.

The sheriff has 45 days from a complete application to issue or deny. Denial must be in writing and is appealable to the Court of Common Pleas. Denials based on “character and reputation” require specific evidentiary support, not vibes. Appeals win at a meaningful rate where the denial isn’t backed by a disqualifying record.

The LTCF authorizes both concealed carry and carry in a vehicle anywhere in Pennsylvania. Inside Philadelphia (a city of the first class) it is also the only authority for any open carry. Outside Philadelphia, an LTCF holder can carry openly or concealed at their option.

Open Carry in Pennsylvania (and the Philadelphia Exception)

TL;DR: Pennsylvania gun laws permit open carry without a permit for adults 18 and older across most of the state. The two carve-outs are 18 Pa.C.S. § 6108 (Philadelphia, where any street carry requires an LTCF) and 18 Pa.C.S. § 6107 (carry during a declared state of emergency, where an LTCF is required).

The structure to know:

• Outside Philadelphia. Open carry is legal for anyone 18 or older who can lawfully possess a firearm. No permit. No registration. No state-level posted-property requirement. Local jurisdictions cannot add restrictions because preemption (18 Pa.C.S. § 6120) blocks them.
• Philadelphia. 18 Pa.C.S. § 6108 makes it unlawful to carry a firearm “upon the public streets or upon any public property in a city of the first class” without an LTCF. Pennsylvania has only one city of the first class: Philadelphia. Open carry inside Philadelphia city limits without an LTCF is a third-degree misdemeanor.
• In a vehicle. Carrying a firearm in any vehicle without an LTCF is unlawful under 18 Pa.C.S. § 6106, regardless of where in Pennsylvania you are. Limited transport exceptions exist (going to and from a range, hunting, gun shop, etc., with the firearm unloaded and in a locked container).
• During a declared state of emergency. 18 Pa.C.S. § 6107 prohibits carrying a firearm in public during a declared emergency unless the carrier holds an LTCF or is “actively engaged in a defense of life or property” or is law enforcement. The Lara case has limited enforcement of this provision against 18-20 year olds.

Practical takeaway on Pennsylvania gun laws around carry: outside Philadelphia, open carry without a permit is unambiguously legal. But the LTCF is still worth getting if you ever drive into Philadelphia, drive with a firearm, or want concealed carry as an option. The fee is $20 and the carry rights it adds are substantial. I tell every adult Pennsylvanian I know to get one even if they never plan to carry concealed, just to keep their options open.

Buying a Firearm in Pennsylvania (PICS and Private Sales)

TL;DR: Pennsylvania gun laws send all handgun purchases through PICS (the Pennsylvania Instant Check System), operated by the Pennsylvania State Police, regardless of whether the seller is an FFL or a private individual. Long-gun private sales between unlicensed Pennsylvania residents are not required to go through PICS. Long-gun dealer sales still run NICS through the FFL. Universal-check bill HB 1593 passed the PA House in September 2025 and is pending in the state Senate.

Step-by-step for a first-time PA buyer:

1. Verify eligibility. Age 18+ for long guns, age 21+ for handguns from an FFL (federal floor, ATF). Not a prohibited person under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) or 18 Pa.C.S. § 6105.
2. Pick a dealer or seller. FFLs sell handguns and long guns. Private handgun sales must occur in person at an FFL or sheriff’s office for the PICS check. Private long-gun sales between PA residents do not require a third-party intermediary.
3. Complete the paperwork. ATF Form 4473 at the FFL, plus the Pennsylvania State Police PICS background check application form. Both documents are required for handgun and FFL long-gun sales.
4. PICS check. The FFL or sheriff calls or runs the buyer through the PICS system. The Pennsylvania State Police checks state and federal databases. Most checks return Approved, Denied, or Pending Research within minutes. Pending results can take days.
5. Pay the fee. The current PICS surcharge for the buyer is approximately $2 and is collected at the point of sale.
6. Take possession. No state waiting period. Once PICS approves, the dealer or sheriff transfers the firearm.
7. For private long-gun sales. No PICS check required between PA residents. Best practice: bill of sale, copy of buyer’s PA driver’s license, retain records.

Pennsylvania State Police maintain a separate handgun-sales record set under 18 Pa.C.S. § 6111. PICS-related background check information must be destroyed within 72 hours per § 6111.4, but the handgun-sale record itself (model, serial, buyer name) is retained. And gun-rights advocates have argued this constitutes a de facto registry under Pennsylvania gun laws; the courts have held it does not violate § 6111.4 as long as the underlying background-check data is destroyed.

HB 1593, the universal-check bill, would extend PICS to all long-gun private sales between unlicensed individuals. The bill passed the Pennsylvania House on September 30, 2025 by a narrow margin and is currently in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Its prospects in the Senate are uncertain. If it passes and Governor Josh Shapiro signs it, the long-gun private sale exemption goes away.

Self-Defense: Castle Doctrine and Stand Your Ground

TL;DR: Pennsylvania has both Castle Doctrine and Stand Your Ground, codified together in 18 Pa.C.S. § 505 and substantially expanded by the Castle Doctrine Act (Act 10 of 2011). For an actor not engaged in criminal activity, in a place they have a legal right to be, with a firearm or other weapon used lawfully, there is no duty to retreat before using deadly force when reasonably necessary to prevent death, serious bodily injury, kidnapping, or sexual intercourse compelled by force.

18 Pa.C.S. § 505 Pennsylvania Use of Force in Self-Protection (Castle Doctrine + Stand Your Ground)

(a) Use of force justifiable for protection of the person.--The use of force upon or toward another person is justifiable when the actor believes that such force is immediately necessary for the purpose of protecting himself against the use of unlawful force by such other person on the present occasion. (b)(2.3) An actor who is not engaged in a criminal activity, who is not in illegal possession of a firearm and who is attacked in any place where the actor would have a duty to retreat under paragraph (2)(ii) has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his ground and use force, including deadly force, if: (i) the actor has a right to be in the place where he was attacked; (ii) the actor believes it is immediately necessary to do so to protect himself against death, serious bodily injury, kidnapping or sexual intercourse compelled by force or threat; and (iii) the person against whom the force is used displays or otherwise uses: (A) a firearm or replica of a firearm as defined in 42 Pa.C.S. § 8340.2 (relating to civil immunity for use of force in self-defense); or (B) any other weapon readily or apparently capable of lethal use.

The 2011 Castle Doctrine Act (Act 10 of 2011) added § 505(b)(2.3) and the related provisions. Key features as they stand in 2026:

• Presumption in dwelling, occupied vehicle, or workplace. An occupant who uses defensive force against someone unlawfully and forcefully entering is presumed to have held a reasonable fear of imminent death or serious bodily injury. § 505(b)(2.1).
• No duty to retreat outside the dwelling. § 505(b)(2.3) eliminates the duty to retreat for actors who (a) are not engaged in criminal activity, (b) are in a place they have the right to be, and (c) reasonably believe deadly force is necessary to prevent death, serious bodily injury, kidnapping, or forcible sexual intercourse. The actor must also display or otherwise reveal possession of the weapon, AND the weapon must be one the actor is lawfully permitted to possess.
• Civil immunity. 42 Pa.C.S. § 8340.2 grants immunity from civil suit to anyone who uses force justified under § 505 et seq. The civil plaintiff bears the burden of overcoming the criminal-justification defense.
• The “weapon possession” wrinkle. Pennsylvania’s no-duty-to-retreat rule has a quirk that catches careless writers. If the defender is using a firearm and they are NOT lawfully permitted to possess it (e.g., a prohibited person, or someone illegally carrying without an LTCF), the no-retreat rule does NOT apply. The duty-to-retreat default kicks back in. This is unusual nationally and worth understanding clearly.

Compared to Florida or Texas, Pennsylvania’s Stand Your Ground is more conditional. The conditions are not onerous for a law-abiding LTCF holder, but they matter at trial. And the case law since 2011 has generally read § 505(b)(2.3) protectively: courts have consistently held that the prosecution bears the burden of disproving justification beyond a reasonable doubt once the defendant raises it. In practice, the lawful-possession requirement is the one that trips up otherwise-justified actors, so it’s worth understanding what counts as lawful possession of your specific firearm under Pennsylvania gun laws before you ever need to invoke § 505.

Reciprocity: Out-of-State Permits

TL;DR: Pennsylvania honors LTCFs / concealed handgun licenses from approximately 31 states under formal reciprocity agreements maintained by the Pennsylvania Attorney General. Pennsylvania-resident permits are honored in 32+ reciprocity states. Pennsylvania does NOT honor non-resident permits issued by states that recognize Pennsylvania’s LTCF only for residents. The full reciprocity list is updated periodically by the AG and can shift after a partner state amends its statutes.

What out-of-state permit holders should know before carrying in Pennsylvania:

• Confirm reciprocity with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s current list before carrying. The list adds and drops states based on whether their permits meet PA’s reciprocity criteria.
• While carrying under a recognized out-of-state permit, you must follow Pennsylvania’s carry rules. The Philadelphia open-carry restriction under § 6108 still applies. The vehicle-carry rule under § 6106 still applies. The state-of-emergency rule under § 6107 still applies.
• Pennsylvania has no magazine cap and no AWB, so visiting permit holders don’t have to worry about magazine swaps the way they would entering New York or California.
• Non-residents of states that don’t issue licenses (or whose state issues licenses Pennsylvania doesn’t recognize) can apply for a Pennsylvania non-resident LTCF directly through participating county sheriffs. The application requires a fingerprint card and is more involved than the resident application.

Pennsylvania Gun Laws for Out-of-State Visitors

If you’re driving through Pennsylvania with firearms but don’t have an LTCF or a recognized reciprocal permit, FOPA (the federal Firearm Owners Protection Act, 18 U.S.C. § 926A) still applies. Long guns and handguns can be transported through Pennsylvania to a destination where you can legally possess them, provided the firearms are unloaded and in a locked container that is not accessible from the passenger compartment, and ammunition is stored separately. FOPA does not authorize stops longer than what’s reasonably necessary for the journey (gas, food, sleep), and case law warns against turning a transit stop into a temporary residence.

Without an LTCF or reciprocity, you cannot carry concealed in Pennsylvania, you cannot carry openly in Philadelphia, and you cannot carry loaded in a vehicle outside the FOPA transport exception. You can openly carry an unloaded long gun in most of the state if you’re 18+, but this is rarely useful for travelers.

Moving to Pennsylvania with Firearms

Good news for new residents: Pennsylvania does not require firearm registration, does not impose a magazine cap, and does not enforce an AWB. AR-15s, AK-pattern rifles, and standard-capacity magazines that are illegal in New Jersey, New York, Maryland, or Connecticut are unrestricted across the state line in Pennsylvania. Bring them legally and you’re done.

The one move-related catch: your home-state concealed carry permit stops being honored the moment you become a Pennsylvania resident. You’ll need to apply for the PA LTCF through your new county’s sheriff. There’s no automatic conversion. Allow up to 45 days for the new license. During that gap you can still carry openly outside Philadelphia (which doesn’t require any permit), but concealed carry stops until your PA LTCF issues.

Where You Can’t Carry: Sensitive Locations

TL;DR: Even with a Pennsylvania LTCF, carry is prohibited in K-12 school grounds (24 P.S. § 13-1317.2 and 18 Pa.C.S. § 912), most courthouses (county-by-county lockers required by 42 Pa.C.S. § 5912 et al.), federal facilities (18 U.S.C. § 930), and certain other categories below. State preemption under § 6120 prevents municipalities from adding their own carry-prohibited zones beyond what state and federal law specifies.

A few specific places worth highlighting:

• K-12 schools. 18 Pa.C.S. § 912 prohibits possession of weapons (including firearms) on K-12 school property by any person except school police, on-duty law enforcement, and persons with written authorization from a school official. Commonwealth v. Goslin (2017) carved a narrow “other lawful purpose” defense for non-students legitimately on school property for a school-related purpose, but that defense is fact-specific and not a general permit-holder exception.
• Courthouses. 42 Pa.C.S. § 5912 generally prohibits firearms in courthouses. Most counties provide secure lockers at the courthouse entrance for permit holders.
• Federal buildings. 18 U.S.C. § 930 prohibits firearms in federal facilities except where specifically authorized.
• Posted private property. Pennsylvania doesn’t have a specific “no guns” sign statute, but a property owner can require the firearm to leave (defiant trespass under 18 Pa.C.S. § 3503 if you don’t comply after notice).

State Preemption: 18 Pa.C.S. § 6120 and Crawford v. Commonwealth

TL;DR: Pennsylvania gun laws are strongly preempted under 18 Pa.C.S. § 6120, which bars any county, municipality, or township from regulating firearm ownership, possession, transfer, or transportation. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court unanimously upheld preemption in Crawford v. Commonwealth (November 2024), shutting down a Philadelphia and Pittsburgh challenge that argued the preemption law violated the state constitution. Local firearm ordinances passed before or after Crawford are unenforceable to the extent they conflict with state law.

Crawford was the most consequential Pennsylvania gun law decision in over a decade. The lawsuit was brought by the cities of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, joined by individual plaintiffs and CeaseFirePA, arguing that the preemption law (§ 6120) violated the state constitution because it prevented Philadelphia and Pittsburgh from passing their own firearm ordinances in response to local gun violence. The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court had partially sided with the cities; the Supreme Court reversed unanimously and reinstated preemption in full.

The practical effects:

• Philadelphia cannot pass a local registration requirement, magazine cap, or assault weapons ban.
• Pittsburgh’s 2019 assault weapons ordinance and red flag ordinance, both invalidated as preempted in 2019, remain unenforceable.
• Local “lost or stolen firearm” reporting ordinances passed by some PA cities are unenforceable to the extent they impose criminal liability beyond state law.
• Pennsylvania gun owners do not need to track sub-state ordinances. State law governs everywhere.

The Crawford ruling has been described by gun rights organizations as one of the strongest preemption affirmations in the country. For Pennsylvania residents, the practical takeaway on Pennsylvania gun laws is simple: there is one set of rules, and it’s set in Harrisburg. But that doesn’t mean every Philadelphia or Pittsburgh ordinance has been formally rescinded. Several remain on city books unenforceably; if you live in either city, do not assume an old local ordinance is dead just because Crawford says it should be. Treat it as legally void but operationally still capable of triggering an arrest that gets dismissed later.

NFA Items in Pennsylvania (Suppressors, SBRs, Machine Guns)

TL;DR: Pennsylvania defers to federal NFA law. Suppressors, short-barreled rifles (SBRs), short-barreled shotguns (SBSs), and pre-1986 transferable machine guns are all legal in Pennsylvania with proper federal ATF registration. Pennsylvania does not impose a state-level NFA layer or additional permit. Hunting with suppressors is permitted under 34 Pa.C.S. § 2522.

To buy an NFA item in Pennsylvania:

1. Find a Class 3 SOT FFL dealer in Pennsylvania who carries the item.
2. Submit ATF Form 4 (transfer) or Form 1 (manufacture) with fingerprints, photos, $200 tax stamp ($5 for AOWs).
3. Wait for ATF approval. eForm 4 wait times have improved through 2025-2026 and are running weeks-to-months rather than years.
4. Pick up your item from the SOT dealer. Possession is legal once you have your approved tax stamp.

For background on the NFA itself, see our National Firearms Act explainer. Pennsylvania is one of the most NFA-friendly states in the Northeast, and Pennsylvania hunters have used suppressors lawfully since 2018.

Recent Changes (2025-2026)

TL;DR: The biggest recent change to Pennsylvania gun laws is Crawford v. Commonwealth (November 2024), which unanimously upheld state preemption and ended Philadelphia’s and Pittsburgh’s local-regulation push. The Lara case (Third Circuit, January 2024 and reaffirmed January 2025) effectively ended enforcement of the age 18-20 emergency-carry restriction. HB 1593 (universal background check for long-gun private sales) passed the PA House on September 30, 2025 and is awaiting state Senate action. The 2026 PA legislative session opened January 6, 2026 with both pro- and anti-gun bills filed.

• Crawford v. Commonwealth (Pa. Sup. Ct., November 20, 2024). 6-0 unanimous decision upholding 18 Pa.C.S. § 6120 preemption against state-constitutional challenge.
• Lara v. Commissioner Pennsylvania State Police (3d Cir., January 2024 and reaffirmed January 2025). Held that Pennsylvania’s age-18-20 emergency carry ban is unconstitutional under the Second Amendment. Vacated and remanded by the Supreme Court after Rahimi; reaffirmed by the Third Circuit on remand. The state has not enforced the provision against 18-20 year olds since the original ruling.
• HB 1593 (PA House, passed September 30, 2025). Would extend PICS to long-gun private sales. In the state Senate as of April 2026.
• HB 731 (Secure Storage). Would require firearms to be stored locked when not on the owner’s person. Reported out of committee in 2025; awaiting full House vote.
• 2026 session. Pennsylvania Legislature convened January 6, 2026. Multiple firearms bills on both sides of the issue have been introduced. None have advanced as of April 2026.

Our Take on Pennsylvania Gun Laws

For practical everyday purposes, Pennsylvania gun laws are among the more permissive in the Northeast and one of the most preemption-protected in the country after the Crawford ruling. The LTCF is straightforward and inexpensive ($20, no training requirement, 45-day decision). The state has no magazine cap, no AWB, no red flag law, and Castle Doctrine plus Stand Your Ground codified together. NFA items run on the federal track without a state layer. For most law-abiding gun owners, this is a comfortable jurisdiction.

The two real pain points: Philadelphia, which operates under § 6108 and effectively requires an LTCF for any street carry, and the long-running asymmetry between handgun and long-gun private sales. The first is a quirk of the city-of-the-first-class statutory structure and isn’t going away. The second is the fight HB 1593 is trying to end, and depending on what the state Senate does in 2026 it may already be over by the time this article needs an update.

The hardest part of Pennsylvania gun laws is not the rules themselves but the cross-jurisdiction quirks. If you live near the New Jersey border, you cross from “no AWB” to “AWB” by driving five minutes. If you cross into New York or Maryland, you’re under magazine caps and additional licensing. Pennsylvania’s permissive posture is genuinely permissive, but only inside Pennsylvania. For our broader state-by-state comparison, see the U.S. gun laws by state hub.

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Frequently Asked Questions: Pennsylvania Gun Laws