Obtaining Philadelphia LTC - what a nightmare

[PAMedic=F|A=]

It is really past lawsuit time. Well into charges of official oppression & federal civil rights charges

[t1066]

Must not be a strong reader.

Sheesh, you try and help people out, and you get insulted.

I didn't say it was hard for me. I was trying to be nice to the people who do have trouble reading wall-o-text.

Or would you rather see a bunch of posts complaining about it?

[Gunsnwater]

Neither. I think grammar/spelling/style nazi(s) need to lighten up. This isnt English class and the op wasn't hard to understand. Had it been a train wreck of a post I'd be with you. However reading about Philadelphia's abuse of gun owners is of great concern. Other Pennsylvania citizens need to know about it. We need to fix this problem.

[Pilot321]

Welcome to New York, comrade.

It really saddens me to see the trends I'm seeing. PA was my beacon of hope, but my hopes of turning upstate NY into Northern PA appear to be occurring inversely.

Ahhh, not so fast. This is just Philly, and he will STILL get issued an LTCF, it may take a few more weeks, but it will be issued. Also, anywhere else in the state is pretty much a breeze to get an LTCF. So, we are nowhere near NY,.......yet. But if it makes you feel better.

[markshere2]

Neither. I think grammar/spelling/style nazi(s) need to lighten up. This isnt English class and the op wasn't hard to understand. Had it been a train wreck of a post I'd be with you. .

Immana disagree.

Not a grammar nazi here, misspellings happen via typos and ignorance about which word should be used. That stuff is not so important.

Paragraphs and white space help reading, a lot.

It's just an enter key, and it makes a big difference to the reader.

However reading about Philadelphia's abuse of gun owners is of great concern. Other Pennsylvania citizens need to know about it. We need to fix this problem.

OP, I'm sorry you live in a craphole infested with control freaks. Thanks for posting your travails.

Sounds like your choices are to fight back, or comply intelligently. Good luck!

[Jhaydeno]

I try to have all my ducks 100% in a row (USPS money order - as they will not take bank checks, passport photo of the exact right size, back-up alternatives of all proof of address, etc.), but assume that I have little shot at a 45 day legally required turn around. 60 - possibly. I plan to show up in person just before it expires (if I do not hear from the Gun Permit Unit before then), and if not renewed at that time, plan on personally contacting the court/judge who approved last year's settlement (see order:
http://phillyltcfclassaction.com/documents.aspx ) and if need be taking further appropriate action.

Wow, I didn't know you had to bring your own picture! Do they give you a discount? That $20 fee is supposed to cover those costs, and I bet every other county sheriff doing LTCF has a camera on site like York County does. I wish more people like the OP continue to get upset and push the issue far beyond the recent judgement, that's got to change.

[bigandy1966]

Sooo. I guess If I am poor and cannot afford the $25 (or whatever) fee charged to defend myself outside my house I am screwed.
Ironic that $25 was probably a years income when the Constitution was signed for most Americans

[philadelphia patriot]

Wow, I didn't know you had to bring your own picture! Do they give you a discount? That $20 fee is supposed to cover those costs, and I bet every other county sheriff doing LTCF has a camera on site like York County does. I wish more people like the OP continue to get upset and push the issue far beyond the recent judgement, that's got to change.

The passport pic stays with your file. It's not the same pic that goes on your ltcf. Regardless I think it's stupid because they can just look up your DL pic

[inrem]

And remember, probably 75% of applicants are Philadelphia renewals. When they print, they let you know if their prints on any finger do not line up as a good match for what they had from last time. And they have your electronic picture and full file.

Just an extra intended annoyance to make the process harder - no reason they can't take a bank check or cash either. Same reason that there is no need for two full visits, each generally involving a minimum of a 45 minute wait in their office but generally a bunch more - they could mail cards out on request (for an extra fee or not).

[mracer71]

Agree, the choice to live in Philadelphia was all mine and so be it. There may come a day when Philadelphia will abide by the same rule as the rest of the state. Meantime I will be patient and hope not to end up waiting for 65+ days and wasting my time showing up there over and over again to check on the status of my application.

I am not saying the situation is terminal, or rather that is not how I feel. What seems to be terminal is a level of ignorance and care by some of the folks that serve us in that office. I know they deal with all sorts of people and get annoyed at some of the ignorance and lack of attention folks display... I would too. However, if helping people isn't your thing, if you can't understand that general public may not be so savvy in some of the legal details of a recent lawsuit and have misunderstanding of the paperwork, maybe you should do something else for a living and not drain the resources (some of which come from the pocket of the very tax payer you are trying to help). Being a public servant, having a badge on you should not be replacing common courtesy and civil manners. We are not the criminals nor are we the enemy. We are trying to obtain what is legally ours.

Maybe it's been a while since i was in a government office but this was a nasty experience. A dirty room with chipped walls that haven't seen paint in years, treating people like cattle, warning signs everywhere... The young woman that was conducting my review was chewing gum and texting on her phone while telling me that my paperwork is not complete... how is that for service? On my question why the declaration page of my insurance coverage with my name and address cant serve as a form of ID but a Credit Card bill can, her reply was - it's just not, bring your insurance card... Back to texting...

The fee is $20. If you don't get approved you get $15 back... As for the paperwork - the actual form says you have to bring the whole document to the appointment, even the instructions. At the appointment I was told - nah, all you need is the actual form. It's obvious what's going on here...