Pennsylvania has made modest improvements to its gun safety laws in recent years, but can do much more to protect residents from gun violence.
Pennsylvania requires background checks on all handgun sales, including at gun shows, but does not extend this requirement to long guns including assault rifles. In 2022, Pennsylvania had the twenty-second lowest gun death rate among the states. In an average year, 1,759 people die from gun violence in the state. That means someone dies from gun violence every 5 hours. FIfty-six percent of those deaths are gun suicides, and 41% are gun homicides. In Pennsylvania, the rate of gun deaths increased 32% from 2013 to 2022, compared to a 36% increase nationwide.
What Pennsylvania Does Well
- Universal background checks for handguns
- Domestic violence gun laws
- Extended background check period
- State database background checks
- Disarming procedures
- Gun dealer regulation
- Partial state firearm sale records retention
- Community violence intervention funding
What Pennsylvania Is Missing
- Universal background checks for long guns
- Gun owner licensing
- Extreme risk protection orders
- Assault weapon restrictions
- Large capacity magazine ban
- Waiting periods
- Strong concealed carry law
- Open carry regulations
- Child access prevention laws
- Preempts local gun laws
SPOTLIGHT
GUN LAW SCORECARD
The data is clear: states with stronger gun laws have less gun violence. See how your state compares in our annual ranking.
Read MoreEXPLORE PENNSYLVANIA’S GUN LAWS
WHO CAN HAVE A GUN
OWNER RESPONSIBILITIES
CHILD & CONSUMER SAFETY
GUNS IN PUBLIC
HARDWARE & AMMUNITION
OTHER LAWS & POLICIES
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We’re in this together. To build a safer America—one where children and parents in every neighborhood can learn, play, work, and worship without fear of gun violence—we need you standing beside us in this fight.
