Open Carry in Pennsylvania

No statewide license is required to carry a firearm openly (unconcealed) on foot outside a vehicle; the license requirement covers concealed carry and carry in vehicles. In Philadelphia (a city of the first class), carrying a firearm, rifle or shotgun on public streets or public property requires a license or a § 6106(b) exemption. The Superior Court held the Philadelphia rule unconstitutional as applied in Commonwealth v. Sumpter, 340 A.3d 977 (Pa. Super. 2025).

A license is required to carry a firearm in any vehicle, loaded or not. Exceptions include: carrying an unloaded firearm in a secure wrapper from the place of purchase to home (and certain other trips listed in § 6106(b)(8)); licensed hunters, trappers and fishers while actually hunting or fishing; and visitors licensed by a state Pennsylvania recognizes. Without a license or an exception, it is a third-degree felony, or a first-degree misdemeanor for an otherwise eligible person.

Possessing a weapon, including a firearm, in the buildings or on the grounds of an elementary or secondary school is a first-degree misdemeanor; this covers public, private and parochial schools and school buses. It is a defense if the weapon is possessed for a supervised school activity or another lawful purpose. Knowingly possessing a firearm in a court facility is a third-degree misdemeanor, and counties must provide free lockers for checking firearms at court buildings. In Philadelphia, public streets and property need a license (see open_carry).