History of required procedures for handgun purchase/transfer in PA?

[gnbrotz]

I'm wondering what the historical progression has been in regards to the legal requirements for handgun purchase in PA.

I'm specifically interested in what the state may know about the purchase of a new pistol from a legitimate local store in the early 1970s. I presume the store would have held an FFL, since that began in 1968 and the gun in question was manufactured in 1973.

[abner13]

I've heard the PSP Record of Sale for handguns goes back to the mid-30s , though they admit it's incomplete.

[egon12]

I am going from my faulty memory but the secondary paperwork involving the triplicate state police record of sale started in the mid 1990's. This was also when the PICS system started. I do sort of remember back when I was 21 there was a state mandated wait period prior to the PICS system. Prior to that it was just the Feds 4473 which was kept by the the gun shop/ffl. If the shop went out of business the 4473's were sent to the BATF for archiving. If the FFL is still in business they are not required to keep the 4473's after 20 years and can destroy them. It depends on the dealer. Some keep them all but some may opt to destroy the older ones due to storage issues. As far as I know back in the 1970's once the handgun left the FFL it could be treated like long guns today and could be sold privately between two people who were not prohibited by the ATF. My father recalls that many private deals were made once the handgun was out of the preview of the licensed FFL.