Newbie

**alc210** · August 27th, 2015, 11:08 AM

Good Morning! There is a gun show in my neighborhood this weekend. I wanted to know if I can just go and purchase a gun and keep it in my home for safety with no license. I do not have a criminal background. I am just looking for insight on how it would work if I wanted to go buy a gun.

**BestDefense=StrongOffense** · August 27th, 2015, 11:38 AM

Welcome to the forum. Let me see if i can help...

1. There is no license or permit for purchase.

2. There is no license or permit for ownership.

3. You must be 18 to purchase a long gun, 21 to purchase a handgun.

Don't hesitate to ask more questions here. Plenty of very knowledgeable people here.

If you are entirely new to firearm ownership, I would suggest you seek out a basic firearm safety class.

**rodspade** · August 27th, 2015, 12:39 PM

Originally Posted by alc210

I wanted to know if I can just go and purchase a gun and keep it in my home for safety with no license.

Yes! You'll have to show your ID and fill out a form.

But note that simply owning a gun doesn't make you safe. Seek out good advice and get some training.

And welcome to PAFOA! This forum is a great place to start. :-)

**Gunowner99** · August 27th, 2015, 12:52 PM

You picked the right place and we are all willing to help where we can.

**alpacaheat** · August 27th, 2015, 01:47 PM

No license and if you keep it in your home at all times, no carry license necessary.

But think about this...as a responsible gun owner you'll probably want to (need to) practice, right? You can transport it to and from a range without a carry license, if unloaded and ammo separate from the gun. If you stop for gas, for food, at a buddies' house with it in the car, you are now violating concealed carry law. You can take a walk around the neighborhood and open carry without a CC license, but if harassed by police, it really makes the situation easier if you have the carry license.

So yes, you can buy and keep one in the house without a license, but just to keep yourself out of trouble if you should ever leave the house with it...get the license. You can then go practice AND not have to worry about getting right home. You can carry without worry too.

**wa3ra** · August 27th, 2015, 01:56 PM

Originally Posted by alpacaheat

No license and if you keep it in your home at all times, no carry license necessary.

" You can take a walk around the neighborhood and open carry without a CC license, but if harassed by police, it really makes the situation easier if you have the carry license."

So yes, you can buy and keep one in the house without a license, but just to keep yourself out of trouble if you should ever leave the house with it...get the license. You can then go practice AND not have to worry about getting right home. You can carry without worry too.

Caveat: Since you are in Philly, you need to license to open carry, as well. Again, no license to keep it at home.

**BigHenry** · August 27th, 2015, 02:36 PM

Welcome.....if you are not familiar with firearms get some advice first before buying any particular weapon. There are so many choices and some are better then others depending on your individual needs

**R L Suehr** · August 27th, 2015, 02:45 PM

All good and correct advice so far. I'll add that if you are really completely new to firearms, then a gun show might not be the best place for your first purchase. It would be a great place to go and check out lots of guns to see what you want, as there will be lots to see and handle there. Prices and quality can fluctuate a lot on things at a gun show however. There are lots of fine dealers there, but there are also lots of people selling things way over retail. There is also a lot of junk accessories that may seem good to someone new but will not work properly or will not last very long. I would suggest if you know anyone who is experienced with firearms that you take them along with you to help you sort through the crap and make sure you are getting a fair deal if you find something you like.

The other option I would suggest is go and look to see what you like, then go to a respected shop that will help you and make your purchase. You can ask here for a good local gun shop if you go that route. A good local shop will help you figure out what will work best for your desired purpose and budget and will likely have suggestions for training courses around your area.

Just my opinion and good luck with your first purchase. Welcome to the forum. Stick around here and read up on the laws. You can learn a lot from the members here.

**daschnoz** · August 27th, 2015, 03:03 PM

Welcome to the forum. New to guns? Based on the original question, I would bet that you are not a Pennsylvania native. If that is the case, welcome to the free USA.

Either way, you picked a good place to ask your questions.

Just a couple of housekeeping notes:

Unless mentioned as "F**k Dicks" or "F**k Field & Stream" (the retail store whose parent company is Dick's Sporting Goods), DO NOT mention Dick's Sporting Goods or Field & Stream. EmptyMag will not be pleased.
PR = People's Republic of (as in PRNJ, PRNY, PRMD, etc).
Any question regarding bringing ANY gun into any of the PR states will generally result in 214 posts that all read the same thing - DON'T.
Grammar Nazis are generally always on post.
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.