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Anyone able to shed some light on this:

http://www.handgunlaw.us/states/pennsylvania.pdf

states:

Airport Carry: No state laws found. Pittsburgh PA Parking Lot and Terminal Off Limits Allegheny Co.
Ordinance. § 70539.

Is this going to cause me a problem traveling in and out of Philadelphia with a carry pistol in my (checked of course) luggage?

Anyone been through there recently to give me the lay of the land? I'll be flying Continental...

Thanks in advance!

It's like 500 km between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

I believe that PA is a state that does not have statewide preemption, meaning that Philadelphia restricts CC to people with their "special" license. I could be off base on this, but was actually looking at the Philadelphia police website earlier today.

In terms of answering your question directly - I wouldn't anticipate any issues. I'll will check with some people who may have had flights through there and get back with you.

The site below may be of use to you as well.

http://www.pafoa.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Dudley wrote:It's like 500 km between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

If Pittsburgh has the rule, the city of brotherly love can't be far behind...

I flew into and out of Philadelphia last Thanksgiving. I had no problems with the weapon in the luggage and no one asked me for a license or ID for it. I just had the normal check in procedures of declaring and then waiting until the check-in clerk got the clearance from the TSA people that my bag had passed.

KFP wrote:I believe that PA is a state that does not have statewide preemption, meaning that Philadelphia restricts CC to people with their "special" license. I could be off base on this, but was actually looking at the Philadelphia police website earlier today.

PA does have full statewide preemption , with one exception: open carry in a "city of the first class" (Philadelphia is the only such city) requires a handgun carry permit. In the rest of the state, unlicensed open carry is legal. Permits are issued by each county sheriff, but they're all the same: there is no special "Philadelphia license".

chabouk wrote:

KFP wrote:I believe that PA is a state that does not have statewide preemption, meaning that Philadelphia restricts CC to people with their "special" license. I could be off base on this, but was actually looking at the Philadelphia police website earlier today.

PA does have full statewide preemption , with one exception: open carry in a "city of the first class" (Philadelphia is the only such city) requires a handgun carry permit. In the rest of the state, unlicensed open carry is legal. Permits are issued by each county sheriff, but they're all the same: there is no special "Philadelphia license".

While PA does have preemption, some cities have chosen to ignore that and have passed their own laws. If you get stopped in one of those cities, you may find yourself arrested and charged. Sure, you would likely win in the long run, but it may cost you.

chabouk wrote:

KFP wrote:I believe that PA is a state that does not have statewide preemption, meaning that Philadelphia restricts CC to people with their "special" license. I could be off base on this, but was actually looking at the Philadelphia police website earlier today.

PA does have full statewide preemption , with one exception: open carry in a "city of the first class" (Philadelphia is the only such city) requires a handgun carry permit. In the rest of the state, unlicensed open carry is legal. Permits are issued by each county sheriff, but they're all the same: there is no special "Philadelphia license".

I stand corrected, I read through the following (http://www.ppdonline.org/hq_gunpermit.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) and it sounded quite different from the mail in apps that you can do throughout the rest of the state.

KFP wrote:I stand corrected, I read through the following (http://www.ppdonline.org/hq_gunpermit.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) and it sounded quite different from the mail in apps that you can do throughout the rest of the state.

Each county in PA pretty much has discretion to handle their licensing however they see fit, provided that they follow the state form. Where the discretion comes into play is on things like the references (required by the state form). The state doesn't say whether or not those references have to be PA residents, but it doesn't say that they can be anybody either. So you'll get counties like Allegheny (Pittsburgh) and Philadelphia using their discretion to say the references must be county residents. They have discretion on whether or not to issue to non-residents and can specify how the application will be accepted. In any event you ultimately wind up with a Pennsylvania License to Carry Firearms (LTCF) that is valid statewide.

What's funny is because each county can decide on things like non-residents you wind up with the big cities like Pittsburgh saying they will not issue to non-residents and requiring you to appear in person. Then you get counties like Centre where you can apply by mail and get your paperwork in a week's time. So if a resident of Philadelphia doesn't want to go through the hassle of his home county he can get licensed by Centre County without ever setting foot there. Ergo, it's kind of pointless for the big city counties to play the games they do. They aren't stopping anybody.

As a point of reference, I've held a Centre County LTCF for almost five years. My business travels take me to Pittsburgh where my company has offices often enough that I could probably claim to have a place of business in Allegheny County. My Centre county license is coming up for renewal soon and I stopped by the Allegheny County sheriff's office one day to see if I could renew there since I have a place of business. The woman flat out refused. I told her it didn't bother me, I was just curious but I'll give my $26 to a different county and be licensed to carry in Allegheny all the same. She agreed the policy was dumb considering how much money the other counties make on out-of-state residents and yet their department is always strapped for cash.

The main point being is that if the gun is properly locked up going to and from the airport you will be covered by federal law. I would not be in either of those cities without my carry gun no matter what risk I might take with the law. Get the phone number for for the NRA Legal Defense Fund and carry it with you. If something happens hire a local attorney and get in contact with the NRA immediately to see if they can help with a good attorney and funding for a case. I don't think a human life is of less value simply because a city is hostile to rights. That is my opinion.

CDH wrote:Anyone able to shed some light on this:
Is this going to cause me a problem traveling in and out of Philadelphia with a carry pistol in my (checked of course) luggage?

Anyone been through there recently to give me the lay of the land? I'll be flying Continental...

Thanks in advance!

Carrying an unloaded, locked-in-a-case weapon in checked luggage is completely unrelated to concealed carry. It is allowed anywhere in the US. Only way I could think of it being illegal is if the WEAPON itself were illegal in the jurisdiction you were flying to. Even in that case, the airline folks check it when you check in and you pick it up on the conveyor when you get there like any other luggage, as I recall. Never traveled with a pistol like this, but lots of times with rifle and it's no big deal. Now if you walk out the door of the airport and break open the case on the sidewalk and pull the gun out, load it, and holster it (concealed), I'd bet you'll meet some new friends and get to try on handcuffs. But otherwise, you'll be fine.

Note that the gun has to be unloaded and placed in a locked container and declared at the ticket counter. If you just throw your weapon in your suitcase, unloaded, it will fail the security thing and bad things will happen. Check continental's website for details of their procedure.

Funniest thing is, when you check in, you are generally required to unlock & open the case and show the counter agent that it is unloaded. What a security risk! So if anyone ever wanted to shoot up an airport terminal (ticket counter area), they can just do this, and when they pull it out to show the agent it's unloaded, surprise! This has always hit me as extremely stupid. Easiest way to get a loaded (any kind of weapon you want) into the airport ticketing area. Sheesh.

SlowDave wrote:Funniest thing is, when you check in, you are generally required to unlock & open the case and show the counter agent that it is unloaded. What a security risk! So if anyone ever wanted to shoot up an airport terminal (ticket counter area), they can just do this, and when they pull it out to show the agent it's unloaded, surprise! This has always hit me as extremely stupid. Easiest way to get a loaded (any kind of weapon you want) into the airport ticketing area. Sheesh.

Am I missing something here?

Forgive me for being stupid here but ...... I didn't think that ticketing and check-in was a secure area anyway? Why is it anymore of a security risk to open the gun case and show the gun is loaded?

What am I missing?

Kevinf2349 wrote:What am I missing?

Nothing.

I think pulling a pistol out of the waistband is much quicker than opening a suitcase, removing a locked case, unlocking it, etc.

Many thanks! I have a brand new, small Pelican case, a pair of keyed alike locks for each corner, and it fits nicely into the rolling bag.

Now for both my first trip out of state with CHL, and my first trip through TSA with a pistol in my luggage...on th eplane in the morning!

Maybe I'll take a self portrait at the liberty bell...

Thanks to all!

I like to use the phrase "I need to declare an unloaded firearm as well" when checking the bag at the ticket counter.

This avoids any confusion as to the state of the firearm and prevents any alarm by avoiding the term gun.

Enjoy your trip!