Pennsylvania gun control bills introduced over the past two legislative sessions would expand background checks, create red flag orders, require safe storage around children, mandate reporting of lost or stolen firearms, and restrict certain weapons and accessories. The Democratic-majority state House moved several of these measures during the 2023–2024 session, including one universal background check bill that passed the full chamber. None cleared the Republican-controlled Senate. Similar proposals have been reintroduced in the 2025–2026 session, and as of early 2026 none have become law.1Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Universal Background Check Bill Passes House
Universal Background Checks for Private Sales
Under current law, Section 6111 of Title 18 already requires background checks for all handgun sales and all sales through licensed dealers through the Pennsylvania Instant Check System. Private sales of rifles and shotguns do not.2Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 18 – 6111 Sale or Transfer of Firearms Closing that gap has been the highest-profile goal for Pennsylvania gun control advocates.
Two bills from the 2023–2024 session approached the issue. House Bill 714 would have amended Section 6111 to cover rifles and shotguns in private sales, requiring both parties to complete the transaction through a licensed dealer or the county sheriff.3Pennsylvania General Assembly. House Bill 714 House Bill 1593 went further, requiring background checks for all firearm sales regardless of barrel length or seller type, including gun shows, online transactions, and private party sales.
HB 1593 is the bill that reached a floor vote. The House passed it 104–99, the first time a universal background check bill cleared a chamber of the Pennsylvania General Assembly.4Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Universal Background Check Bill Passes House The Senate did not take it up before the session ended.
If a universal background check law eventually passes, every private sale would route through a licensed dealer or sheriff’s office. The dealer runs the buyer through PICS, which queries criminal history, juvenile delinquency records, and mental health commitment records.2Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 18 – 6111 Sale or Transfer of Firearms The state charges up to $2 per transaction, but dealers can add their own transfer fees on top of that; the Pennsylvania State Police notes there is no prohibition on those fees and the extra money does not go to PSP.5Pennsylvania State Police. Firearms Information
Extreme Risk Protection Orders (Red Flag Law)
Pennsylvania has no red flag law. House Bill 1018 from the 2023–2024 session would have created one, and HB 1867 reintroduced the concept in the 2025–2026 session; it was referred to the House Judiciary Committee in September 2025.6Pennsylvania General Assembly. House Bill 10187Pennsylvania General Assembly. House Bill 1867
The proposed framework would let family members, household residents, or law enforcement petition a Court of Common Pleas for an Extreme Risk Protection Order. The petitioner would need to show the person poses a danger of self-harm or harm to others. A judge who finds enough evidence can issue an initial ex parte order without the gun owner present to address the immediate danger, and the order stays in place until a full hearing.
At that hearing the judge decides whether to impose a final order lasting up to one year. A person subject to the order would have to surrender firearms and any carry permits to local law enforcement or a licensed dealer, with procedures spelled out for storage and return once the order expires. Violating an active ERPO could result in arrest and misdemeanor charges.
Safe Storage Around Minors
House Bill 731 would require firearm owners to use a locking device or secured container when someone under 18 is reasonably likely to gain access to the weapon, whether or not the firearm is loaded.8Pennsylvania General Assembly. House Bill 731 A locking device means a trigger lock or cable lock. A secured container means a locked box or safe a child cannot easily open.
Liability kicks in when a minor actually gains access to an improperly stored firearm and causes injury. The owner then faces a third-degree felony, which under Pennsylvania sentencing carries up to seven years in prison and fines up to $15,000. Senate Bill 769 in the 2025–2026 session covers similar ground and was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee in May 2025.9Pennsylvania General Assembly. Senate Bill 769
Reporting Lost or Stolen Firearms
House Bill 338 would require gun owners to notify local law enforcement within 72 hours of discovering a firearm is lost or stolen.10Pennsylvania General Assembly. House Bill 338 The report would need to include the firearm’s make, model, and serial number so police can flag the weapon in databases.
Penalties are tiered. A first offense would be a summary offense carrying a fine of up to $500. Repeat violations could escalate to a second-degree misdemeanor, with up to two years of imprisonment and fines up to $5,000. Federal licensed dealers already face a stricter obligation under ATF rules to report missing inventory within 48 hours; HB 338 extends a similar concept to individual owners with a longer window.11Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Federal Firearms Licensee Theft/Loss Report
Assault Weapons and Trigger Activators
Two bills from the 2023–2024 session target restricted items, and the two cover different ground.
Assault Weapons Ban
House Bill 336 would prohibit the sale, manufacture, and possession of firearms defined as assault weapons.12Pennsylvania General Assembly. House Bill 336 The definition combines named models with feature tests, for example semi-automatic rifles with detachable magazines that also carry certain military-style features. Existing owners would be grandfathered in if they register the weapons with the Pennsylvania State Police within a set timeframe. Grandfathered items could be kept but not transferred to other private citizens. Law enforcement and military personnel performing official duties would be exempt. Senate Bill 200 in the 2025–2026 session addresses similar restrictions and was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee in June 2025.13Pennsylvania General Assembly. Senate Bill 200
Trigger Activators
House Bill 335 would add multi-burst trigger activators, including devices like bump stocks, to Pennsylvania’s list of prohibited offensive weapons.14Pennsylvania General Assembly. House Bill 335 The bill deals with trigger-modification accessories, not ammunition capacity. Large-capacity magazine restrictions have been introduced separately under different bill numbers across sessions.
Why None of These Bills Have Become Law
The pattern so far has held through two sessions: the Democratic-majority House passes gun safety bills, and the Republican-controlled Senate does not take them up. During 2023–2024, the House Judiciary Committee advanced HB 338, HB 731, HB 1018, and other measures, and HB 1593 passed the full House 104–99. None received a Senate floor vote.1Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Universal Background Check Bill Passes House
Local governments cannot step in where the state has not. Section 6120 bars counties, municipalities, and townships from regulating the lawful ownership, possession, transfer, or transportation of firearms and ammunition.15Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 18 – Chapter 61 Firearms and Other Dangerous Articles Philadelphia and Pittsburgh challenged the preemption and lost at the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which ruled residents had not shown a constitutional right to local firearm regulation as a form of self-defense from gun violence. Any meaningful change has to come from Harrisburg.
What This Means for Pennsylvania Gun Owners Right Now
Nothing described above is current law. Handgun sales and dealer sales still run through PICS, private long-gun sales still do not require a background check, there is no red flag process, no statewide safe storage mandate for homes with minors, and no deadline for individual owners to report a lost or stolen firearm. The 2025–2026 bills (HB 1867, SB 769, SB 200) sit in committee as of early 2026.7Pennsylvania General Assembly. House Bill 18679Pennsylvania General Assembly. Senate Bill 76913Pennsylvania General Assembly. Senate Bill 200 Anyone tracking these measures should watch Senate Judiciary action, because that is where the previous versions ran out of road.