My Situation

[G.O.A.T.]

To be vague.

I am 18 years old and I will be moving out soon. I will be living alone not on a campus or anything I have a full time job in the family business.

So basically I want a gun to keep in my house simply as a form of protection if someone breaks in.

I would prefer to have a handgun though from what I am hearing you can't buy handguns if you are under 21 from any kind of a store that sells guns however you can buy handguns if you are 18+ from private parties? Is this true?

Also saw a guy saw 18 year olds can't possess handguns but others said they can.

So I am very confused.

I am 18 years old, can I get a handgun to keep in my house?

[P-11 shooter]

Your mom or dad can buy the handgun and "gift" it to you. If they are willing to do this then that may be your best option. If this gun is simply for home defense and nothing else then I would suggest you buy a shotgun which you can do yourself, and is a much better home defense weapon.

[G.O.A.T.]

Originally Posted by P-11 shooter

Your mom or dad can buy the handgun and "gift" it to you. If they are willing to do this then that may be your best option. If this gun is simply for home defense and nothing else then I would suggest you buy a shotgun which you can do yourself, and is a much better home defense weapon.

Thanks.

My parents however definitely will not buy me one. They are against guns so this is why my knowledge on gun laws is limited. Do gifts have to be given through parents though? Or can it be given through like girlfriends?

Really, I wasn't aware of that I figured a handgun would be better since it's easier to carry and is less messy. Are shotguns and rifles sold to 18 year olds?

[P-11 shooter]

Originally Posted by G.O.A.T.

Thanks.

My parents however definitely will not buy me one. They are against guns so this is why my knowledge on gun laws is limited. Do gifts have to be given through parents though? Or can it be given through like girlfriends?

Really, I wasn't aware of that I figured a handgun would be better since it's easier to carry and is less messy. Are shotguns and rifles sold to 18 year olds?

Girlfriend can't do it for you.

Yes, you can buy a long gun at 18



I'm not sure how familliar you are with guns and if you want to do anything else with it besides home defense. If you plan on shooting clay pigeons or hunting it affects the type of shotgun you want.

As for being messy, don't worry about it. If you shoot somebody inside your house they're going to bleed everywhere no matter what you shoot them with.

What kind of guns have you shot?

[P-11 shooter]

Wait.

if your girlfriend is 21 she can buy a handgun. But it's legally hers. You could keep it at your house, but if MY personal experience with girlfriends has taught me anything, you're going to want it to be your gun.

I still say buy a shotgun. Others on here know the rules of "gifting" better and can tell you if another family member could do it.

[G.O.A.T.]

Originally Posted by P-11 shooter

Girlfriend can't do it for you.
Yes, you can buy a long gun at 18

I'm not sure how familliar you are with guns and if you want to do anything else with it besides home defense. If you plan on shooting clay pigeons or hunting it affects the type of shotgun you want.

As for being messy, don't worry about it. If you shoot somebody inside your house they're going to bleed everywhere no matter what you shoot them with.

What kind of guns have you shot?

Originally Posted by P-11 shooter

Wait.

if your girlfriend is 21 she can buy a handgun. But it's legally hers. You could keep it at your house, but if MY personal experience with girlfriends has taught me anything, you're going to want that in your name.

I still say buy a shotgun. Others on here know the rules of "gifting" better and can tell you if another family member could do it.

I am not planning on hunting. Might get into shooting practice things like clay pigeons but the main purpose would be home defense. As of now my goal is simply just to get a gun. Not really to focused on all the other things yet.

Makes sense, I probably shouldn't be worried about holes in the walls and blood all over the place though if someone has broken in my house haha.

I couldn't tell you what I have shot, I only shot a gun on one occasion and it was a few years ago with a friend and his family. It was a rifle though, at some kind of shooting range. So yeah I am not very savvy with guns. I will take a class or two most likely.

Currently I am single but I may get back with my ex who is over 21. We have talked about moving in together in the past but if it happens it won't be for a while. So not something I will bank on. If we did move in together though I would be able to get it in my name though even though I am under 21 and she would have to buy it?

It looks like I will just buy a shotgun for now and look into getting a handgun after I have purchased the shotgun.

[Agent Smith]

One other way you could acquire a handgun is buy purchasing it from an individual, and have it transferred to you through the Sheriffs Office.

A shotgun would definitely be a better option for home defense, though.

[pex]

People who can gift you a handgun:
parent, grandparent, spouse. must be a PA resident.

FFLs cannot deliver handguns to those under 21, so under no circumstances can you legally obtain a handgun through that method.

Sheriffs have the statutory ability, but are not required by law, to transfer handguns. I think I called about 8-10 of the 67 PA sheriffs and 0 said they'd do it. You could try calling the sheriffs in your county and the ones immediately surrounding, or to any one you'd be willing to travel. You might even consider sending a letter to every one in the state (and it would be nice if you told us the result.) 67 letters is about 30 bucks with stamps, envelopes, paper, and price of gas to acquire them. I'd personally write a sob story about the injustices of being 18 and trying to get a handgun (even worse in that while you can acquire a handgun, no store will sell you ammo if you tell them it is for a handgun.)

Basically, no one wants you to have a handgun. Remember to vote!

In the meanwhile, you should read the Pennsylvania Uniform Firearms Act and related law. Here is a summary that is not quite up to date but is a good compendium:
http://www.acslpa.org/pa_uniform_firearms_act.htm

Then you can reference the more up to date law, starting at:
http://government.westlaw.com/linked...sp?SP=pac-1000

Other notes: if you get a handgun...
you can conceal the handgun inside your house and apartment, but not any common area in a rental situation. The consensus we come to here is that the law says you can conceal in your abode, which means living place, which means if you own land, that isn't included...just the house.
You can open carry on foot without a license, except in Philly.
You need a license from PA or a state of reciprocity if you want to take the handgun into your car for most reasons, or conceal on/about your person. Look into getting a Maine, and then an NH, license, since you can't get a PA license until you're 21, or if you don't mind giving fingerprints, there's other states to look at (I don't know which offhand).
These notes may be oversimplifications which will be cleared up by reading the statute at the links provided, and by reading discussions elsewhere on this forum (for case law references.)

[bigcory18951]

Girlfriend cannot gift you the pistol.. she cant buy it and give it to you.. that im sure is considered a straw purchess.. Get yourself a nice mossburg 500 a2 with a 9round tube and have fun.. add a flash light and your ready to kick someones ass when they break into your house.. i suggest you learn how to operate and shoot the firearm you buy.. Stay away from a pistol till ur 21.. its just problems.. unless you wanna learn how to load black powder you can own a black powder pistol but i suggest a nice shotgun.. its scary and will shred someone a new ass.. close range with turkey load.. its a mess gurenteed.. 00 Buckshot will work too!

[pex]

Originally Posted by bigcory18951

Girlfriend cannot gift you the pistol.. she cant buy it and give it to you.. that im sure is considered a straw purchess..

18PACS6115 offers other options.

§6115. Loans on, or Lending or Giving Firearms Prohibited.

(a) Offense defined.—No person shall make any loan secured by mortgage, deposit or pledge of a firearm, nor, except as pro*vided in subsection (b), shall any person lend or give a firearm to another or otherwise deliver a firearm contrary to the provisions of this subchapter.

(b) Exception.—

(1) Subsection (a) shall not apply if any of the following apply:

(i) The person who receives the firearm is licensed to carry a firearm under section 6109 (relating to licenses).
[...]
(3) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the loaning or giving of a firearm to another in one’s dwelling or place of business if the firearm is retained within the dwelling or place of business.

If one has a license from a state with whom we have reciprocity (and note this may have to be written reciprocity and not 'statutorily-close-enough' based on the 6109 reference) then they can be lended the handgun. Otherwise, if it's just to be used in the abode, it's also no problem.

Stay away from a pistol till ur 21.. its just problems.. unless you wanna learn how to load black powder you can own a black powder pistol

18-year-olds have rights and they ought to stand up for them, too.