The City of Brotherly Love has strict gun laws, as Philadelphia City Code has several statues that extend beyond statewide Pennsylvania gun laws.
Philadelphia is one of about 30 municipalities in the state that passed local gun laws in the last few years,
according to the Philadelphia Daily News. The move has been in reaction to the failure of state legislators to pass stricter statewide laws.
ALERT: Should Obama Have More Control Over Guns? Vote Now
In addition to laws against taking shopping carts from parking lots and the requirement to post “danger” signs when moving heavy objects in the city, there are
some strict gun laws, including:
1. Shooting a gun for no reason is considered reckless and is illegal.
2. The sale of water pistols, electric canes and miniature cannons are banned and no one can have them on any street or in any public place.
3. Any kind of air gun, spring gun or anything designed to “forcefully impel a pellet of any kind” can’t be sold in the city.
4. Carrying a firearm, including a rifle or shotgun, on a public street or on public property without a license to carry or to hunt or without being for immediate self-defense is illegal.
VOTE NOW: Should All Fully Automatic Rifles Be Banned?
5.
During a state of emergency, the sale, carrying or possession of any weapon, including guns, is prohibited in the street, on the sidewalk, or in a park.
The city has also made its own rules extending beyond Pennsylvania gun laws about the transfer of firearms, including the requirement to have a license if you have a gun:
1. These restrictions prevent any person from acquiring or transferring any firearm within city limits.
2. People who own guns in the city of Philadelphia have to provide their home addresses and any other addresses they’ve lived in the last five years. They also have to provide their employment history over the past five years and their place of birth.
3. Licensed applicants also have to provide their fingerprints and photograph.
4. Police will not give a license to anyone younger than 18, anyone who has been convicted of a violent crime or a drug crime, or anyone considered to be a “habitual drunkard.” Even though Pennsylvania gun laws already include a statute limiting firearms that are deemed as having “no lawful purpose,” Philadelphia leaders believed they needed to be more specific. In an effort to “supplement the prohibition of Pennsylvania laws regarding offensive weapons,” city council members also made the “possession, manufacture, transfer, delivery, sale and use” of those weapons a violation of city code. The city
lists 39 specific classes of weapons in their ban.
This article does not constitute legal advice. Check the current gun laws of your state and destination before travel.
URGENT: Do You Support President Obama’s Plans for Stricter Gun Control? Vote Now
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.