Buying and using a gun without PA DL

[Xringshooter]

OP, where do you and your wife live in PA? Do YOU own the home and pay all the real estate taxes on the residence? If you do, then you are considered a PA resident when you are living in your PA home and you certainly can buy a handgun. The ATF considers this as a dual state resident scenario and a FFL in PA will have to talk to a PICS operator to do the BGC but it can be done. I am the FFL for 6 dual state residents (one is from NYC) and I have had no problems with the PSP. You do need to provide the FFL with copies of the current real estate taxes paperwork (paid) for him to keep with the 4473/SP4-113 for proof.

[bortle]

You can't go wrong with a pump 12 ga. loaded with buck shot. Both legally and for HD. (hacksaw is optional)

[General Geoff]

Strictly speaking you cannot legally buy a handgun in PA as a TX resident.

Should you choose to straw-purchase through your wife, YES you could be prosecuted and convicted for a felony and lose your 2A rights forever. Given the extreme circumstances that the current pandemic has conjured, a DA or prosecutor may go easy on you and not press charges or allow you to plea out to a minor charge IF you ended up having to shoot someone with an ill-gotten handgun. But that is their discretion, not yours.

OP, where do you and your wife live in PA? Do YOU own the home and pay all the real estate taxes on the residence? If you do, then you are considered a PA resident when you are living in your PA home and you certainly can buy a handgun. The ATF considers this as a dual state resident scenario and a FFL in PA will have to talk to a PICS operator to do the BGC but it can be done. I am the FFL for 6 dual state residents (one is from NYC) and I have had no problems with the PSP. You do need to provide the FFL with copies of the current real estate taxes paperwork (paid) for him to keep with the 4473/SP4-113 for proof.

This would work great as long as you can provide proof of legit PA residency. Plenty of FFLs in your region should be willing to help out.

[SevenMilePete]

Strictly speaking you cannot legally buy a handgun in PA as a TX resident.

Should you choose to straw-purchase through your wife, YES you could be prosecuted and convicted for a felony and lose your 2A rights forever. Given the extreme circumstances that the current pandemic has conjured, a DA or prosecutor may go easy on you and not press charges or allow you to plea out to a minor charge IF you ended up having to shoot someone with an ill-gotten handgun. But that is their discretion, not yours.



This would work great as long as you can provide proof of legit PA residency. Plenty of FFLs in your region should be willing to help out.

IANAL, but I'm guessing it would be illegal for the wife to buy a handgun too. Just having a drivers license doesn't make her a resident.

[General Geoff]

IANAL, but I'm guessing it would be illegal for the wife to buy a handgun too. Just having a drivers license doesn't make her a resident.

PA won't issue a DL to anyone who doesn't prove residency, so from an FFL's perspective, a PA DL = PA residency.


Legal residency in general can be nebulous for folks who spend extended periods of time out of a single state.

[gnbrotz]

Question if you will please. In this situation could the wife lend a handgun to the husband IF they both had A LTCF/CCW from either state?

NO.

The prohibition Knight mentioned ("sporting purpose only") is a FEDERAL one, and unaffected by STATE provisions to allow lending between (resident) licensees.

[chp1911]

NO.

The prohibition Knight mentioned ("sporting purpose only") is a FEDERAL one, and unaffected by STATE provisions to allow lending between (resident) licensees.

Ok Thank you. I was just curious.

[MartinBrody]

No you can’t buy a handgun online unless you have it shipped to an FFL in TX and pick it up there.

Yes your wife can buy a gun in PA.

If your wife buys a gun you can use it if needed.

[Gunowner99]

If you are looking for loopholes or complex justifications to explain why what you want to do is legal, and your freedom and livelihood depend on you being correct and the police, a prosecutor and a court agreeing with you, even if in fact you are fully correct, when you have a reasonable alternative to avoid that situation it is wise to do so.

Buy a shotgun. Hell, buy a couple because one is never enough.

1 is 0 and 2 is 1.

[free]

1 is 0 and 2 is 1.

Sounds like jail for mathematicians.