No state restrictions on gun-trafficking such as a limit on the number of handguns that can be purchased at one time. Gun traffickers can easily buy large quantities of handguns at gun stores and resell them on the street to criminals.

Pennsylvania - No state restriction on the sale or possession of military-style semiautomatic assault weapons. Assault weapons are as easy to buy as hunting rifles. Congress and President Bush allowed the federal assault weapons ban to sunset in 2004. See also: Large Capacity Ammunition Magazines

No state requirement that gun dealers or manufacturers provide police with sample bullets/cartridges or digital images of bullets/cartridges prior to the sale of a handgun, ballistic fingerprinting, which would assist police in tracing bullets at crime scenes to the guns that fired them.

State law forces police chiefs and state sheriffs to give concealed carry permits (CCW) to anyone who can buy a handgun, allowing them to carry loaded, concealed handguns in public (known as shall issue). Police may not even require safety training in the legal or safe use of weapons for CCW applicants. State law allows residents of some other states to carry concealed weapons in this state without informing local police.

No state requirement that gun owners take responsible steps to prevent children from gaining easy access to their firearms. Gun owners are not held accountable for leaving loaded guns around kids, even if a young child shoots themselves or someone else with a gun left in plain sight.

State law requires every gun to be sold with a child-safety lock to make it easier for gun owners to lock up their weapons. But there are no standards for the child-safety locks to ensure that they are of sufficient quality to work well. The law does NOT require gun owners to actually use the safety locks to secure their weapons - the law only says they must be sold with guns. Also see: Safety Standards and Child Access Prevention.

Pennsylvania - There is no state law mandating that all new handguns be sold with 'personalized' handgun technology that would only allow the authorized user to operate the firearm. Childproof handguns play an important role in helping to prevent unintentional shootings among children and to deter suicides among minors.

Pennsylvania - The state requires all firearm dealers to obtain a state license to sell firearms. State law mandates licensed firearm dealers to record and retain all sales records on premises. The dealer is required to report those sales records to the state and the state must retain those records in a database. State law mandates that a firearm dealer take steps to ensure his/her inventory is protected and secured. (Examples: Locked inventory, product placement requirements, employee screening, install alarm systems, etc.)

State law forbids city and county governments from taking any legal action to hold gun manufacturers accountable, even when they act irresponsibly in the way they design, market or distribute weapons. No other industry enjoys such special immunity for irresponsible conduct.

State law requires people buying handguns at gun shows to undergo the same Brady criminal background check as is required for sales that occur at federally-licensed gun stores. People buying long guns (which includes assault weapons) at gun shows are not subject to a background check prior to the sale. The state requires gun show sellers to use an authorized federal gun dealer at the gun show or a law enforcement official to access the FBI criminal records check prior to selling a handgun.

Pennsylvania - There is no state law forcing employers or businesses to allow guns on their privately held property.

Pennsylvania - There is no state law forcing colleges/universities to allow guns on campus.

Pennsylvania - There is no state law restricting the sale or possession of large capacity ammunition magazines that can fire 30, 50 or even 75 rounds without reloading. Ammunition magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds of ammunition are considered large capacity magazines. These types of ammunition magazines are available for any firearm capable of accepting a detachable magazine, including assault weapons and semi-automatic handguns.

State law does not restrict selling handguns to juveniles under the age of 21 by unlicensed sellers. Under federal law, only federally licensed dealers are prohibited from selling or delivering handguns or ammunition for handguns to any person under the age of 21. A strong state law is needed to stop unlicensed persons from selling handguns to those under the age of 21.

No state requirement that handgun buyers obtain a handgun license or undergo any type of safety training prior to buying a handgun.

State law forbids local city or county governments from enacting any local gun laws, even though the state has failed to pass responsible state-wide laws. This preemption of local government authority makes it impossible for cities to enact sensible gun laws to make their citizens safer.

Pennsylvania - There is no state law requiring new semi-automatic handguns be fitted with microstamping technology, which would engrave on each fired bullet casing microscopic identifying markings that are specific to that firearm alone. This technology would provide law enforcement with another investigative tool to better solve gun crimes and apprehend armed criminals.

State law authorizes law enforcement to keep a record of every handgun sold or transferred in the state, but the state does not keep any records on the sale of rifles or shotguns. The handgun sale records are maintained by police for use in gun tracing and related criminal investigations. But the state does not automatically compare past gun sale records with recent criminal activity to identify and disarm felons and others who bought guns legally, but later committed a crime or otherwise became ineligible to keep possession of their firearms.

No state requirement that gun owners register their firearms. Police do not know how many guns are in the state or where they are. The lack of registration data makes it more difficult for police to trace guns used in crime, identify illegal gun traffickers or hold gun owners accountable for their weapons. Although the state keeps records on handgun transfers, there is no state system to automatically identify and disarm felons and other prohibited people who bought guns legally in the past, but later committed a crime or otherwise became ineligible to keep possession of their firearms.

Pennsylvania - State law does not require firearm owners to report lost or stolen firearms to law enforcement. This requirement would help to keep illegal guns off the streets by removing the excuse used by gun traffickers that "lose" their firearms.

State law requires all firearms to be sold with a state-approved child-safety lock, but there are no standards to ensure the locks work. There is no state requirement that handguns meet basic safety standards, or be equipped with a loaded-chamber indicator or a magazine safety disconnect to prevent unintentional shootings. No requirement that handguns have a more advanced, built-in "personalized" lock that would prevent unauthorized use of the weapon. The state Attorney General is authorized to independently establish gun safety standards, but has not done so.

No state restriction on the sale of Saturday night specials or "junk" handguns. No requirement that handguns meet any safety tests such as a drop-safety test or a firing-performance test. No restriction on the sale of snub-nosed handguns that are very small and easy to conceal.

Pennsylvania - The state does not allow the use of deadly force as a first resort in public.

State law requires universal background checks on handguns only. People buying or obtaining ownership of any handgun must go through a criminal background check prior to every purchase. The background check is required for all handgun transfers including those at gun shows. Criminal background checks for assault weapons, rifles, and shotguns are only required if the buyer goes to a federally-licensed gun store - all other long gun sales are not subject to the background check.

No state requirement that there be a waiting period for gun sales beyond the "instant check" in federal law. Police are not given any additional time to run a criminal background check to make sure the gun buyer is not prohibited from acquiring firearms. There is no "cooling off" period to help prevent crimes of passion.