Philly & PA Reciprocity with NC

[ncpatriot]

I live in NC and may visit Philadelphia in October.

Can any of you from that area fill me in on CCW reciprocity?

Best I know, I can carry my pistol in a checked bag on a plane if I declare it. Has anyone dealt with that issue lately?

Thanks for any help.

 

[JERRYS.]

https://www.handgunlaw.us/states/northcarolina.pdf

 

[FITASC]

Philadelphia may have some quirks you want to investigate regarding carrying

 

[Aguila Blanca]

I suggest signing up for the PAFOA forum and asking them. The members are knowledgeable (most of them, anyway) and helpful (most of them, anyway).

http://forum.pafoa.org/

Pennsylvania honors resident North Carolina permits. In Pennsylvania, with a permit you can carry open or concealed. However, be advised that the Philadelphia police DO NOT like citizens to have guns, and if you open carry in Philadelphia you should expect to be hassled/harassed. I have a PA license, and I wouldn't think of open carrying in Philadelphia.

Also, you need to be aware of 18 U.S. Code section 922(q) - the Gun Free School Zone Act.

(q)
(1) The Congress finds and declares that—

(A) crime, particularly crime involving drugs and guns, is a pervasive, nationwide problem;
(B) crime at the local level is exacerbated by the interstate movement of drugs, guns, and criminal gangs;
(C) firearms and ammunition move easily in interstate commerce and have been found in increasing numbers in and around schools, as documented in numerous hearings in both the Committee on the Judiciary [3] the House of Representatives and the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate;
(D) in fact, even before the sale of a firearm, the gun, its component parts, ammunition, and the raw materials from which they are made have considerably moved in interstate commerce;
(E) while criminals freely move from State to State, ordinary citizens and foreign visitors may fear to travel to or through certain parts of the country due to concern about violent crime and gun violence, and parents may decline to send their children to school for the same reason;
(F) the occurrence of violent crime in school zones has resulted in a decline in the quality of education in our country;
(G) this decline in the quality of education has an adverse impact on interstate commerce and the foreign commerce of the United States;
(H) States, localities, and school systems find it almost impossible to handle gun-related crime by themselves—even States, localities, and school systems that have made strong efforts to prevent, detect, and punish gun-related crime find their efforts unavailing due in part to the failure or inability of other States or localities to take strong measures; and
(I) the Congress has the power, under the interstate commerce clause and other provisions of the Constitution, to enact measures to ensure the integrity and safety of the Nation’s schools by enactment of this subsection.​

(2)

(A) It shall be unlawful for any individual knowingly to possess a firearm that has moved in or that otherwise affects interstate or foreign commerce at a place that the individual knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, is a school zone.
(B) Subparagraph (A) does not apply to the possession of a firearm—

(i) on private property not part of school grounds;
(ii) if the individual possessing the firearm is licensed to do so by the State in which the school zone is located or a political subdivision of the State, and the law of the State or political subdivision requires that, before an individual obtains such a license, the law enforcement authorities of the State or political subdivision verify that the individual is qualified under law to receive the license;
(iii) that is—

(I) not loaded; and
(II) in a locked container, or a locked firearms rack that is on a motor vehicle;​

(iv) by an individual for use in a program approved by a school in the school zone;
(v) by an individual in accordance with a contract entered into between a school in the school zone and the individual or an employer of the individual;
(vi) by a law enforcement officer acting in his or her official capacity; or
(vii) that is unloaded and is possessed by an individual while traversing school premises for the purpose of gaining access to public or private lands open to hunting, if the entry on school premises is authorized by school authorities.​

(3)

(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), it shall be unlawful for any person, knowingly or with reckless disregard for the safety of another, to discharge or attempt to discharge a firearm that has moved in or that otherwise affects interstate or foreign commerce at a place that the person knows is a school zone.
(B) Subparagraph (A) does not apply to the discharge of a firearm—

(i) on private property not part of school grounds;
(ii) as part of a program approved by a school in the school zone, by an individual who is participating in the program;
(iii) by an individual in accordance with a contract entered into between a school in a school zone and the individual or an employer of the individual; or
(iv) by a law enforcement officer acting in his or her official capacity.​

(4) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed as preempting or preventing a State or local government from enacting a statute establishing gun free school zones as provided in this subsection.

Cliff's Notes version: Your North Carolina permit does NOT allow you to carry within 1000 feet of a school property in Pennsylvania. To do that, you must have a Pennsylvania License to Carry Firearms. So you will need to find out if there are any schools with 1000 feet of anywhere you plan to be in Philadelphia (or anywhere else in PA).

 

[ncpatriot]

Thanks for the feedback. I will read up further on these documents and may also call Philly police commissioner's office.

I will NOT open carry, for sure. While it is legal on paper here in NC, it is very risky. Armed to terror of the public is a subjective statute that can get us in trouble. I open carried once, on a job on private property in a terrible neighborhood, with owner's permission.

I have seen a few store and gas station clerks here open carry, and used to see some fishermen open carry in case of snakes at a river. I would never open carry somewhere away from home.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

I will NOT open carry, for sure. While it is legal on paper here in NC, it is very risky

Open carry even without a permit is legal everywhere in PA except in a "city of the first class" -- and the only such city in PA is Philadelphia. So in Philadelphia you need a permit to open carry. To carry concealed and/or to carry in a motor vehicle, you need a permit everywhere in Pennsylvania. You have a permit. Pennsylvania recognizes your permit (assuming that you live in NC and that your permit is from NC). That's all you need to know. You can carry legally in Philadelphia.

Then go to www.handgunlaw.us and review the tabulation of places where you cannot carry even with a permit. The only places that come to mind from recollection are court facilities, and PA law says that they are supposed to provide facilities at courts to check your weapon if you have business in the court.

 

[Jack O'Conner]

I worked in Philly as a Building Inspector from 2004 - 2006. Many times I performed my job in some very rough neighborhoods (during daylight hours) and I carried a 38 snub nose revolver in my tool belt. I saw the bad guys and they saw me but never had any close up threats or aggressive behavior. But one time at a traffic light, a young man threatened me because I would not buy bottled water from him. I pulled out my gun and he ran away like a scalded cat. I didn't even point it at him.

Jack

 

[Armed_Chicagoan]

Only the federal government can prosecute under the Gun Free School Zone Act, right?

 

[Aguila Blanca]

Only the federal government can prosecute under the Gun Free School Zone Act, right?

Yes, but we also have to check each state's statutes to see if they have an analog that could be prosecuted by state authorities.