To buy a gun in Pennsylvania, you need a valid government-issued photo ID, eligibility under both state and federal law, a completed federal Form 4473 and Pennsylvania State Police Form SP4-113, and enough money to cover the firearm plus a small background-check fee. If the Pennsylvania Instant Check System approves you, the gun goes home with you the same day. There is no waiting period and no state gun registry.
Are You Eligible to Buy
Federal law sets the minimum age: 21 to buy a handgun from a licensed dealer, 18 to buy a rifle or shotgun from a licensed dealer.1Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Minimum Age for Gun Sales and Transfers
Even at the right age, several categories of people are barred from possessing a firearm in Pennsylvania:
- Anyone convicted of a felony enumerated in state law, or a felony equivalent from another state or federal court.
- Anyone convicted of a misdemeanor involving domestic violence under state or federal law.
- Anyone subject to an active final PFA order, or any active PFA order that requires firearm surrender.
- Anyone adjudicated incompetent or involuntarily committed to inpatient mental health treatment, with limited exceptions for certain short-term emergency evaluations.2Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 18-6105 – Persons Not to Possess, Use, Manufacture, Control, Sell or Transfer Firearms
- Anyone with three or more DUI convictions within any five-year period. The prohibition applies to future purchases and transfers after the third conviction.3Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 18-6105
- Fugitives from justice and unlawful users of controlled substances, under federal law.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 United States Code 922 – Unlawful Acts
- Non-citizens unlawfully present in the United States.
The DUI rule surprises many buyers. A third DUI within five years does not have to be a felony to strip your firearm rights.
What ID and Paperwork You Need
Bring a government-issued photo ID that shows your name, date of birth, current address, and photograph. A Pennsylvania driver’s license or state ID card is the standard. If your ID doesn’t show your current address, pair it with another government-issued document that does, such as a voter registration card or a recent tax document.5Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. 18 USC 922(t)(1)(C) – Identification of Transferee Active-duty military members stationed in Pennsylvania can use a military ID paired with official orders showing their permanent duty station is in the state.
At the counter, you’ll fill out two forms the dealer provides. The federal ATF Form 4473 asks for personal information and a series of yes-or-no questions about your eligibility. The Pennsylvania State Police Form SP4-113 is the state’s application and record of sale.6Pennsylvania State Police. Firearms Forms – Application/Record of Sale Form (SP4-113) Every answer must be truthful. Lying on Form 4473 is a federal felony carrying years of prison time and substantial fines.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 United States Code 922 – Unlawful Acts
The PICS Background Check and What It Costs
Once your paperwork is complete, the dealer calls the Pennsylvania Instant Check System, run by the Pennsylvania State Police. PICS searches criminal history records, mental health adjudication records, and active protection from abuse orders.7Pennsylvania State Police. Firearms Records – PICS Most results come back within minutes: approved, denied, or delayed.
The PICS check itself costs $2 and covers the entire transaction no matter how many firearms you buy at once. Each firearm bought from a licensed dealer also carries a $3 surcharge for the Firearm Instant Records Check Fund.8Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 18-6111.2 – Firearm Sale Surcharge One handgun runs $5 in state fees; two firearms in a single transaction run $8. The dealer may charge its own handling fee on top of that.9Pennsylvania State Police. Firearms Information
If Your Check Comes Back Delayed
A delayed result is not a denial. PICS needs more time to investigate something in your records. State law gives the Pennsylvania State Police up to 10 days to resolve a standard delay. When the system flags a misdemeanor and cannot immediately determine whether it involved domestic violence, the investigation can extend beyond that window until the facts are confirmed. The dealer cannot transfer the firearm to you until PICS returns a final approval with a unique approval number. If you are ultimately denied, you’ll receive written notice explaining the reason and your options for appeal.
Buying From a Private Seller
Pennsylvania draws a sharp line between handguns and long guns in private sales. Any private sale of a handgun, a short-barreled shotgun, a short-barreled rifle, or any firearm with an overall length under 26 inches must take place at a licensed dealer’s business location or at a county sheriff’s office. The dealer or sheriff runs the same PICS background check.10Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 18-6111 – Sale or Transfer of Firearms The $2 PICS fee still applies. The $3 surcharge does not, because it only applies to purchases from a licensed dealer.9Pennsylvania State Police. Firearms Information The dealer or sheriff typically charges a service fee for handling the transfer, often between $25 and $75.
Standard-length rifles and shotguns are exempt. Two private individuals who are both legally eligible can complete a long gun sale directly, with no dealer, sheriff, or background check required. A buyer can request a voluntary check, but the law doesn’t require one.
Transfers between spouses, parents and children, or grandparents and grandchildren do not need to go through a dealer or sheriff, even for handguns.10Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 18-6111 – Sale or Transfer of Firearms It remains illegal to transfer a firearm to someone you know or should know is prohibited from possessing one, family or not.
Buying a Firearm From an Out-of-State Dealer
Federal law lets you buy a rifle or shotgun over the counter from a dealer in another state, as long as the sale complies with both Pennsylvania law and the law where the dealer sits.11Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Federal Firearms Licensee Quick Reference and Best Practices Guide Handguns are different. You can pay for a handgun in another state, but the dealer must ship it to a licensed Pennsylvania dealer. You pick it up there, fill out the usual Form 4473 and SP4-113, and pass a PICS check before taking possession.
Private sellers face a stricter rule: an unlicensed individual cannot transfer any firearm to a resident of a different state. The transfer has to go through a licensed dealer in the buyer’s home state, where the buyer then completes the standard background-check process. Federal law allows exceptions for temporary loans for lawful sporting purposes and for inheritances under a will or state succession law.
Medical Marijuana Cardholders Should Read This Twice
Federal law still classifies marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance and prohibits any unlawful user of a controlled substance from possessing a firearm.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 United States Code 922 – Unlawful Acts Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program does not change that. A cardholder who buys a firearm is technically violating federal law. Form 4473 asks directly whether the buyer is an unlawful user of marijuana or any other controlled substance, and answering “no” while holding a medical card creates a separate federal exposure for false statement.
No Waiting Period, No State Registry
Pennsylvania imposes no waiting period between purchase and transfer. If PICS approves, you leave with the firearm that same visit. This applies to handguns and long guns, and to both retail sales and private transfers processed through a dealer or sheriff.
Pennsylvania also prohibits state and local agencies from maintaining a firearms registry. The state keeps records of individual handgun sales and transfers processed through PICS, but firearm owners do not register their guns and there is no centralized database of who owns what.
Buying Versus Carrying
You do not need a License to Carry Firearms to buy a gun in Pennsylvania. You do need one to carry a concealed handgun on your person or in a vehicle. Carrying a loaded handgun without a license outside your home, place of business, or a shooting range is a crime.12Pennsylvania State Police. Carrying Firearms in Pennsylvania The license application goes to the sheriff of your county of residence, or to the Philadelphia Police Department for Philadelphia residents; the fee is $20 and the license is valid for five years once approved.