Is firearms legal in Pennsylvania?

Q: Is firearms legal in Pennsylvania?

Firearms in Pennsylvania is legal only under specific conditions. Pennsylvania requires a License to Carry Firearms to carry concealed, and it is shall-issue — by the county sheriff, or by the Philadelphia chief of police — valid for five years, with a minimum age of 21. Carrying concealed or in a vehicle without a license, outside a home or business, is a felony. Pennsylvania is not permitless.

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PENNSYLVANIA · FIREARMS

Firearms

Conditional: Pennsylvania requires a License to Carry Firearms to carry concealed, and it is shall-issue — by the county sheriff, or by the Philadelphia chief of police — valid for five years, with a minimum age of 21.

Conditional

Summary

Pennsylvania requires a License to Carry Firearms to carry concealed, and it is shall-issue — by the county sheriff, or by the Philadelphia chief of police — valid for five years, with a minimum age of 21. Carrying concealed or in a vehicle without a license, outside a home or business, is a felony. Pennsylvania is not permitless.

Source: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/psp/programs/firearms/carrying-firearms-in-pennsylvania · Updated July 6, 2026

Pennsylvania Firearms topics

Concealed Carry in Pennsylvania →Conditional
Pennsylvania requires a License to Carry Firearms to carry concealed, and it is shall-issue — by the county sheriff, or by the Philadelphia chief of police — valid for five years, with a minimum age of 21.
Open Carry in Pennsylvania →Conditional
Open carry of a handgun is legal in Pennsylvania without a license at 18 and older statewide, except in Philadelphia, where a License to Carry Firearms (LTCF) is required.
Magazine Capacity in Pennsylvania →Permitted
No state law limits magazine capacity in Pennsylvania — standard-capacity and high-capacity magazines are legal to buy and possess under state law.
Gun Possession in Pennsylvania →Permitted
Pennsylvania has no red-flag law (also called an Extreme Risk Protection Order, or ERPO), and no assault-weapon ban or state-level restriction on magazines.
Transporting Firearms in Pennsylvania →Conditional
In Pennsylvania, without a License to Carry Firearms (LTCF) a handgun may be transported in a vehicle only unloaded and in a secure manner, such as in a locked container; carrying one loaded in a vehicle without an LTCF, away from your home or place of business, is a felony.
Duty to Inform Police in Pennsylvania →Conditional
Pennsylvania has no proactive duty to inform, but when carrying a firearm concealed on the person or in a vehicle, a licensee must produce the license for inspection on the lawful demand of a law-enforcement officer (18 Pa.C.S. § 6122(a)); failure to produce it creates a rebuttable presumption of non-licensure.
Suppressors & Silencers in Pennsylvania →Conditional
Suppressors are legal in Pennsylvania once you register them with the federal government.
Reciprocity — where is my Pennsylvania permit honored? →
State-by-state map of which states honor a Pennsylvania concealed-carry permit.

Other Pennsylvania laws

Firearms in nearby states

Browse all state laws →

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