Pennsylvania allows open carry without a license in most counties, but Philadelphia is a city of the first class where 18 Pa.C.S.A. section 6108 bars open carry without a License to Carry Firearms. State preemption otherwise blocks added Philadelphia restrictions.
Pennsylvania law generally permits open carry of properly transported firearms without a license outside vehicles, except inside a city of the first class. Philadelphia is the Commonwealth's only city of the first class, so 18 Pa.C.S.A. section 6108 makes it unlawful to carry a firearm openly or concealed on city streets without a valid LTCF. Section 6108 thus closes the open-carry loophole specifically for Philadelphia. Carry on private property with the owner's consent and inside a person's residence or fixed place of business remains lawful without a permit. Federal Gun-Free School Zones, court buildings, and other sensitive places stay off-limits citywide.
Carrying a firearm openly on Philadelphia streets without an LTCF violates 18 Pa.C.S.A. section 6108 and is a first-degree misdemeanor with up to five years prison and ten thousand dollars in fines.
Philadelphia, PA
18 Pa.C.S.A. section 6120 preempts local firearm regulation, blocking most Philadelphia gun ordinances. The city has repeatedly sued for home-rule authority ...
Philadelphia, PA
18 Pa.C.S.A. section 6106 requires a License to Carry Firearms (LTCF) to carry concealed in Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania State Police and Philadelphia Poli...
Philadelphia, PA
18 Pa.C.S.A. section 6106 makes carrying any firearm in a vehicle in Pennsylvania a third-degree felony unless the driver holds a Pennsylvania License to Car...
See how Philadelphia's open carry rules stack up against other locations.
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