Open Carry - Was It Ever Illegal in PA?

[ImminentDanger]

So, I wrote the following statement in the 'I Saw A Man With A Gun!' handout...
http://forum.pafoa.org/concealed-ope...it-8-24-a.html
....
"The act of openly carrying a firearm is legal… and has been since our independence!"

And I believe that's true (or I wouldn't have written it).....

I also know you can't carry openly everywhere (such as court facilities), but other than the currently specified no-go places/times...

Does anyone know if there ever was (in the past) any law in PA that made open carry, in public, in general, unlawful?

... Stay Safe ...
ID

[rmodel65]

laws only make conduct illegal

[knight0334]

not that I can recall.

[TaePo]

A LTCF is needed during declared emergencies. Not sure when that was enacted though.

The natural order of things is for open carry. You are not hiding the possible deadly threat that you might be. If people don't know you, they can avoid you or at least avoid 'disturbing' you in anyway!

And we need to change vehicle carry laws and exceptions clauses about where or under what circumstances you can even have an unloaded firearm in a vehicle etc.

[-JD-]

Illegal everywhere in cities of the "first class" (Philly) without a LTCF

[Strapped]

prob a dumb question, but what make a city "first class"? is it the size? how many live there?

[MontCo Alex]

So, I wrote the following statement in the 'I Saw A Man With A Gun!' handout...
http://forum.pafoa.org/concealed-ope...it-8-24-a.html
....
"The act of openly carrying a firearm is legal… and has been since our independence!"

And I believe that's true (or I wouldn't have written it).....

I also know you can't carry openly everywhere (such as court facilities), but other than the currently specified no-go places, does anyone know if there ever was any law in PA that made open carry, in public, in general, unlawful?

... Stay Safe ...
ID

One of the reasons OC is illegal in other states, especially southern ones, is racism.
When they no long could have laws that specifically banned minorities from owning firearms they found other ways to effectively do the same thing. What better way than to require permits to purchase or carry. NC for example requires a pistol permit to purchase a pistol issued by a sheriff. A lot of these laws passed during the 50-60's amid protests and riots of that era. Both relating to the civil rights movement and then later the war.

Even NYC's own law reportedly passed because of anti-immigrant sentiment.

There are tons of examples of laws that passed because of racism or such. One mans 'saturday night special' is another mans 'affordable firearm'.

Fortunately, PA doesn't have seem to have any laws that passed like this, at least on a state wide basis.

-Alex

[ImminentDanger]

Since this is true......
"The act of openly carrying a firearm is legal… and has been since our independence!"

WHEN/WHERE/HOW DID THE MYTH THAT OC _IS_ ILLEGAL START???

Does anyone have any kind of evidence of when/where/how???
Like newspaper stories or editorials or legislative comments regarding gun laws where someone began claiming it was illegal????

Or was it a matter of the laws/statutes in another state being confused (perhaps purposely) as applicable to Pennsylvania? Like, New Yorkers or DCers or Baltimoreans began to claim their limitation there actually was true here too??

...
ID

[Emptymag]

If I had to guess, it's because of misinformation that has grown to be considered "fact".
Such as:

"You need a permit to carry a gun."

"My uncle gave me a hunting rifle but it's not registered!"

"It's illegal to have hollow point bullets."

"You can't carry in bars or churches."

"The gun just went off."


All completely wrong, yet believed by many, many, many people. Including gun owners.

[Bruce]

Since this is true......
"The act of openly carrying a firearm is legal… and has been since our independence!"

WHEN/WHERE/HOW DID THE MYTH THAT OC _IS_ ILLEGAL START???

Does anyone have any kind of evidence of when/where/how???
Like newspaper stories or editorials or legislative comments regarding gun laws where someone began claiming it was illegal????

Or was it a matter of the laws/statutes in another state being confused (perhaps purposely) as applicable to Pennsylvania? Like, New Yorkers or DCers or Baltimoreans began to claim their limitation there actually was true here too??

...
ID

My money is on any of these three: "transplants" (immigrants) from other States (such as New York) and/or the "media" (as in: the New York Times has a pretty high circulation in Pennsylvania) and/or "emulation" ("Well, that's how they do it over in NYC and... that means it's, like, 'nationwide', right?")
.