CCW age in pennsylvania

[q102josh]

hey is anyone certain of the age to obtain a CCW permit in the state of pennsylvania? im pretty sure the age is 18 but im not 100% certain. the reason i ask is because when i turn 18 i want to get a CCW permit and carry, especially since i will be living away downtown when im in college, and even though its pretty safe, ???? does happen there. if the age is in fact 21, then are there any loopholes in that law so that i can legally carry. the reason its so important to me is because i am a very easy target for violent crime. im a guy and im only about 5'2" tall. i know that i would never be able to defend myself hand to hand, and the predators would probably pray on me. also are there any special laws in the city of philadelphia for firearms? thanks.

 

[RRTX]

www.packing.org
That will give you answers to most of your questions and gives links to other sources of information. Welcome to THR

 

[Steve in PA]

The age for CCW in PA is 21, and there are no "loop holes".

 

[45Badger]

If predators "pray " on you, that's OK. It's when they do the "prey" thing that things get hairy. Sorry, could not help myself.

As for victimization, keep your eyes and ears open, don't walk down dark and empty alleys, etc. Common sense and situational awareness account for 99.5% of staying out of harm's way. I think the other .5% is gonna happen no matter what you do. My $.02

Where are you going to college?

 

[anapex]

As Steve has said, the age is 21 with no loopholes. Even if you were 21 you'd have to be careful carrying on a campus since most seem to not like that kind of thing. You'll just have to suffer by having a decent folder and/or some pepper spray until you turn 21.

 

[geekWithA.45]

Incidentally, PA's "no guns in school" law* only applies to primary and secondary schools, not to institutes of higher ed. While most schools have a no guns on campus policy, school policy does not have the force of law, and being discovered in violation subjects you at most to the censure of the school.

I know a couple of professors in PA (who shall remain anonymous) who lawfully carry every day.

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The city of PHL does have a few special laws. Basically, open carry does not apply to PHL, unless you have an LTCF, in which case you're generally better off concealed.

PHL will also give you endless grief trying to obtain an LTCF, so my advice is that when you reach 21, if you can demonstrate PA residence in another county, do file from there.

In fact, PHL can be fairly gun hostile. For all practical purposes, consider it to be Jersey, albeit with a supreme court you can appeal to that won't _automatically_ throw you to the sharks.

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*The law is structured with an ambiguous "lawful purpsoses" phrase. What I understand is that the AG has chosen not to comment on whether that applies to LTCF holders, nor has any court clarified the issue. It seems that no one really wants to be a test case here, and push the issue.

I am not a lawyer, blah, blah blah....

 

[SUE ROVR]

Your biggest issue is that every college in PA has rules against weapons so if found out you will be expelled.



Someone was discussing how a person of 18 could get a hunting permit and then get a New Hampshire permit which would indirectly allow one to carry while 18 in PA (the PA statute only says you have to be 21 to have a CCW permit, not to carry).

I would not want to be caught in that situation. But if you do get caught in that situation, shoot me an email.

 

[q102josh]

thanks for your input everyone, yeah i guess this does pose a problem for me. if i was a typical guy it wouldnt be such a big issue, but im an abnormally small male and im a perfect target for violent crime. ya know, i just dont wanna come home from college in a body bag. to the guy who asked where im goin to college, i plan on goin to drexel. even though drexel is in one of the nicer parts of the city, and they do have pretty tight security, ???? can still happen down there. the security guards can't be everywhere at once. and also when im off campus, i wont have anyone looking out for me. believe me, even in the nicer parts of center city bad ???? happens. i personally have family members who have been robbed at gunpoint downtown. i just dont wanna be a victim of violent crime, thats understandable isnt it? i mean honestly i dont think i would feel comfortable living alone downtown unarmed.

i doubt it but maybe the state of PA grants CCW permits to 18-20 year olds in special circumstances, id like to find that out. if they don't then i figure i could get a new hampshire permit. sue rover, to get a non-resident new hampshire permit you need to have a permit in another state first. would a pennsylvania hunting license qualify? cause if it doesnt, i think i could get a maine permit first, since they're a shall issue state, they issue to 18-20 year olds, and they issue to non-residents. then i could get my new hampshire permit and be good to go. as far as taking a gun on campus, im not too concerned about that, im more concerned about getting a permit. PA doesnt have an laws against taking a gun on a college campus, only like elementary schools, junior high, and high schools. i realize that most colleges have no weapons policies, but im sure you can be granted an exception from that if you are a CCW permit holder and if you follow a certain procedure. perhaps you can get written permission from the dean or something. honestly im sure they dont want me coming home in a body bag any more than i wanna go home in one. it's not like ill be the first one who's ever done this before... ive heard of other college kids packing when they go away to school and ive also heard of armed professors. so there must be a way to do this by the books. thanks for your help everyone.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

Drexel is in one of the better parts of Philadelphia? Since when?

Stop making up problems. I lived in West Philly for four years. Just don't do stupid things and you'll be fine. Like -- don't walk home at 3:00 a.m. when you're drunk or stoned. In fact, don't walk home at 3:00 a.m.

You know -- common sense stuff. If you can't carry a gun, just work a bit harder at avoiding situations where you might need one.

 

[TheLastBoyScout]

I was the guy who asked about using the NH permit loophole a few months back... I decided that it would be too many hoops to jump through, because after all I'm leaving the state for college this summer.

The drill would be:
1) get PA licence to have a handgun while hunting (name escapes me)
2) Use that to get NH (nonres) permit
3) carry on NH permit, and REMEMBER, CONCEALED MEANS CONCEALED.

Your college should not know. Period. They WILL NOT be happy, and I'd guess that there's about a snowball's chance in hell that anyone at any level would give you a "special exception" to go armed.

AFAIK, this loophole has never been tried-- it should be found legal in a court of law, but be aware that you could be a test case, and my advice is worth what you pay for it.