Question regarding handgun registration

[jwe2]

So, a friend of mine who is an older gentleman came to me with a question about a handgun he has, thinking I would have an answer since he knows I am interested in firearms. I am a little unsure and since it is a legal question I thought it best to see what you all have to say before I give him a recommendation.
He has a small handgun that he had locked up and all but forgot about for years and he wants to either get rid of it completely or make sure it is legal so he can shoot it every once in a while. He tells me he purchased it back in the 80's or early 90's while he lived in Arizona and doesn't think he ever had to do paperwork of any kind, even after moving to PA shortly after. I wouldn't know if there even was paperwork for handguns in Arizona then, or if it would have been somehow grandfathered in when he moved to PA. For all I know he could have actually done some kind of paperwork, but has since forgotten. Is this a question best directed to the police, or should he just loose it in an unfortunate boating accident? (joking) I know he is not prohibited from owning firearms and that he is just trying to do the right thing with the gun, whatever that may be. Thanks for your input.

[streaker69]

There is no registration in PA. There is an illegal Record of Sale Database that the PSP maintain and police use to "run the numbers" but there is no requirement to register your handguns with the police or any other entity in PA.

[PAMedic=F|A=]

So, a friend of mine who is an older gentleman came to me with a question about a handgun he has, thinking I would have an answer since he knows I am interested in firearms. I am a little unsure and since it is a legal question I thought it best to see what you all have to say before I give him a recommendation.
He has a small handgun that he had locked up and all but forgot about for years and he wants to either get rid of it completely or make sure it is legal so he can shoot it every once in a while. He tells me he purchased it back in the 80's or early 90's while he lived in Arizona and doesn't think he ever had to do paperwork of any kind, even after moving to PA shortly after. I wouldn't know if there even was paperwork for handguns in Arizona then, or if it would have been somehow grandfathered in when he moved to PA. For all I know he could have actually done some kind of paperwork, but has since forgotten. Is this a question best directed to the police, or should he just loose it in an unfortunate boating accident? (joking) I know he is not prohibited from owning firearms and that he is just trying to do the right thing with the gun, whatever that may be. Thanks for your input.

There is no gun registration in PA. A gun registry is against the law in the Commonwealth. PSP does have a database of FFL firearms sales/transfers. But this is not a registry, because it does not include all firearms. (says the courts).


There is nothing he needs to do at all.

[jwe2]

Great, I was thinking that was the case, as I am aware there is no registry per se, but I was a little thrown off because of the need to transfer a handgun and fill out the additional PSP forms during a purchase.

[knight0334]

If he wants to make sure the police don't mistakenly seize his gun because it isn't in the "database" - he can go to a FFL and have it transferred to himself.

[R L Suehr]

Great, I was thinking that was the case, as I am aware there is no registry per se, but I was a little thrown off because of the need to transfer a handgun and fill out the additional PSP forms during a purchase.

If he would choose to sell it then he would have to do a transfer to any buyer. Any handgun sold in PA must be transfered. It is not that way in all the other states.

If he wants to make sure the police don't mistakenly seize his gun because it isn't in the "database" - he can go to a FFL and have it transferred to himself.

If he planned on carrying it and wanted to be extra careful he could do this. He would have to pay a transfer fee to get it into the ROS database.

[bigandy1966]

isnt there a dbase of "the lost or stolen Firearms"? of which is voluntary and also woefully incomplete....

[PAMedic=F|A=]

If he would choose to sell it then he would have to do a transfer to any buyer. Any handgun sold in PA must be transfered. It is not that way in all the other states.



If he planned on carrying it and wanted to be extra careful he could do this. He would have to pay a transfer fee to get it into the ROS database.

Or he could not do that, and than press charges for theft.