Whether you want to purchase a firearm to take up hunting, competitive shooting, or for self-defense and home protection, buying a gun in Pennsylvania is easy and straight forward but does have requirements and takes some time to process. We will walk you through the step by step process of how to buy a gun in Pennsylvania.

Step 1: Gun Purchase Legal Requirements

Pennsylvania state has several requirements for purchasing a gun.
First, you must be 18 to buy a long gun and 21 to buy a handgun. You are not allowed to have a gun if you have been convicted of a violent crime nor can you have a gun if you are an undocumented immigrant, are declared mentally ill by the court, are a drug addict or habitual drunkard, are a fugitive from justice, have been convicted of three separate DUI charges within a five-year period or are subject to an active protection from abuse order.
If you aren’t disqualified from the legal requirements, continue reading on about how to buy a gun in Pennsylvania!

Step 2: Go to a Pennsylvania gun store

There are more than 2,500 federally licensed firearms dealers in Pennsylvania. The chance is, there’s one nearby you.

Step 3: Fill out an application to purchase a gun in Pennsylvania

People interested in purchasing a firearm — whether it be a handgun, rifle, or shotgun — must fill out an application. The application will ask for your basic information, as well as ask questions regarding your criminal and mental health history to ensure you meet the legal requirements in step 1.

ATF Form 4473

Step 4: Pennsylvania State Police Background check and fees

At this point, your firearms dealer will plug that information into the Pennsylvania Instant Check System (PICS) to determine if you are legally allowed to own a gun.
In most cases, the check goes through within minutes. If there’s an issue that comes up, the gun dealer then is instructed to call PICS.
Issues like this typically arise when the applicant has an active protection from abuse order, is convicted of a crime in another state, or has a common name.

Option 2: Buy at a gun show or from a friend

Aside from purchasing at a gun shop, Pennsylvanians may also purchase firearms at a gun show or from a private dealer. If you purchase a firearm from a federally licensed dealer at the gun show, the process is the same as if you purchased it from a gun shop. You will have to fill out an application to purchase a firearm and go through a PICS background check.

But the process changes if you purchase a gun from someone that is not a federally licensed dealer — known as the “gun show loophole” — or from someone privately. You are allowed by law to purchase a long gun which includes a rifle or shotgun — without having to go through a background check.

But If you wanted to purchase a handgun privately, you would have to go to a FFL dealer to complete the transfer of a firearm. There is a fee for this transfer which is between $20-$100 depending on the dealer and type of firearm.

The FFL transfer deal will require you to fill out the same application and background check as if you were purchasing the firearm from them.

Option 3: Buy a gun online

Yes, you can purchase a gun online! Online gun shops can sell you a gun online but the will need to ship your new gun to a local FFL dealer. Once your local dealer receives your gun you will have to fill out an application to purchase a firearm and go through a PICS background check.