Carrying in someone elses vehicle (w/CCW)

[greyhouse]

I would assume the answer to both of these are yes, but I just wanted some clarification as to where it says it in PA law.

1. Is a passenger, who has a license to carry, allowed to carry a loaded pistol while riding in another persons vehicle, even if the driver does not have a license to carry?

2. Is a driver WITHOUT a license to carry allowed to carry a loaded rifle or pistol magazine in their car as long as those magazines belong to a passenger in the car who has a license to carry?

I'm really just curious if the law is any different when you are riding in another persons vehicle.

[KeithPA]

I haven't looked at it in a couple weeks, but I believe it says transportation of a loaded firearm in a vehicle requires a license. I don't believe it mentions operator/passenger, just transportation in general.

[aubie515]

Good question to bring up. Perhaps gunlawyer or Steve in PA will chime in and tell us the story.

[Steve in PA]

1) Yes. Your LTC allows you to carry concealed or in a vehicle, doesn't matter if the vehicle isn't yours. As long as your LTC is good to go, you are good to go.

2) Well, the definition of "loaded" is as follows;

“Loaded.” A firearm is loaded if the firing chamber, the non-detachable magazine, or in the case of a revolver, any of the chambers of the cylinder, contain ammunition capable of being fired. In the case of a firearm which utilizes a detachable magazine, the term shall mean a magazine suitable for use in said firearm which magazine contains such ammunition and has been inserted in the firearm or is in the same container or, where the container has multiple compartments, the same compartment thereof as the firearm.

While your passenger could have loaded handgun magazines, he would still have to follow the rules for transporting rifle magazines. Meaning he could throw a bunch of loaded handgun magazines and a handgun in his range bag and be fine.

However, your passeneger with his LTC would have to make sure his loaded AR-15 mags are not in the same container (compartment) as his rifle. An AR-15 rifle case with exterior compartments for magazines would allow you to carry the magazines loaded, since they are no tin the same compartment as the rifle (the rifle is inside).