what states honor pa license to carry firearms

In 2013, 27-year-sometime Pennsylvania resident Shaneen Allen was pulled over for a routine traffic end while driving through New Jersey.  Wanting to exist compliant, Allen indicated that she had a .380 caliber handgun in her purse.  Allen was immediately arrested for unlawful possession of a weapon – even though she was licensed to carry the gun in her home state of Pennsylvania.  Fortunately for Allen, her story stirred up public outcry and she was later pardoned by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.  Despite its happy ending, Allen's story is a somber reminder of what can happen when gun reciprocity laws are forgotten or ignored.  In this article, our criminal defence force lawyers will embrace which states laurels Pennsylvania gun permits, and explicate some of Pennsylvania's gun laws.

States That Have Curtained Carry Permits

Gun laws are wildly dissimilar depending on where you lot live.  Some states, such as Utah and Alaska, are known for their lenient laws and take get havens for hunters and gun enthusiasts akin.  Others, such as California and New Jersey, impose some of the toughest gun laws in the Usa.  Cheers to these dramatic variations, it's piece of cake to see how someone could get into the sort of state of affairs Shaneen Allen constitute herself in.

Gun reciprocity laws, where two states agree to laurels each others' permits, have been established to provide a greater degree of consistency.  As a Pennsylvania resident, information technology's important for you lot to know which states practice (and don't) share reciprocity with Pennsylvania.  Otherwise, you could notice yourself charged with gun possession while traveling out of state.

As Shaneen Allen learned the hard way, New Jersey does non honor Pennsylvania permits.  Other states which also do not honor Pennsylvania gun permits are listed below:

• California
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Minnesota
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Mexico
• New York/New York Urban center
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• Washington
• Commune of Columbia

The following states do honor Pennsylvania curtained comport permits:

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Florida
• Georgia
• Idaho
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Michigan
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• New Hampshire
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• S Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• W Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

Every bit you tin can visualize based on these lists, driving northward, e, or southeast could cause problems as you pass through states like New York and New Jersey, which do not award Pennsylvania gun permits.  The merely two reciprocal states with which Pennsylvania shares a border are Ohio to the w, and West Virginia to the southwest.

Interestingly, these "reciprocal" arrangements aren't always double-sided.  For example, Idaho honors Pennsylvania permits, but Pennsylvania does not laurels Idaho permits.  Nevertheless, Idaho is the rare exception: the vast majority of reciprocity agreements are truly reciprocal between both states.

Pennsylvania Gun Laws: Bans and Prohibitions

While it's important to be aware of Pennsylvania's gun reciprocity laws, traveling out-of-state isn't the only mistake which can get you into legal problem where weapons are concerned.  There are also certain places inside Pennsylvania'south borders where you could be arrested for having a gun – even if you have the appropriate allow.  For example, Philadelphia observes a urban center ordinance banning firearms in all metropolis parks, such as LOVE Park (JFK Plaza) and Rittenhouse Square.

There are also several statutes which use statewide, including the following:

• 18 PA Cons. Stat. § 913 – This statute makes it illegal to possess a firearm ("or other dangerous weapon") at a courtroom.
  • Note the use of the phrase "possession of a firearm or other dangerous weapon."  Equally divers past the same statute, "other dangerous weapons" include knives, contumely knuckles, switchblades, blackjacks/billy clubs, bombs, and other explosive/incendiary devices.
  • Of course, this police force makes exceptions for court officials who need to be armed, or attorneys who are presenting guns equally bear witness.

• 18 PA Cons. Stat. § 912 – This statute makes it illegal to possess whatsoever weapon while on school property.
  • "School property" doesn't merely hateful the structure itself.  It also includes schoolhouse buses, school playgrounds, and school parking lots.
  • Over again, "weapons" means more than but guns.  Defined most broadly, prohibited weapons comprehend any "musical instrument or implement capable of inflicting serious bodily injury."

What Happens When I Am Arrested for Gun Crimes in Pennsylvania?

Below, we explain the manner the criminal process typically unfolds after you have been arrested for a gun crime in Pennsylvania, and how our boxing-tested Pennsylvania criminal defense force attorneys at Young, Marr & Assembly can help you at each stage of the instance to work towards bringing the affair to the near positive possible resolution.

Arrest and Post-Arrest

Arrests for a gun crime may happen in one of two different ways. If the police personally witnesses you illegally possess or use a gun, they will take probable crusade to abort you on the spot. If the gun crime is reported to the police force, they will likely conduct an investigation into who committed the crime. They will interview witnesses, gather physical evidence, and review security footage. In one case they believe they accept enough evidence to arrest you for the crime, they will ask a judge to corroborate an abort warrant and, when the warrant is approved, volition seek you out to identify you under abort.

Preliminary Arraignment and Bail Hearing

At this preliminary arraignment, the judge will read you lot the robbery charges confronting you and explicate the penalties you lot may face up. Usually, a bond hearing volition be held at or around the aforementioned time. The judge volition consider whether or not to hold you in jail awaiting the resolution of your case, to release you on bail, or to release you without bail. Because gun crimes vary profoundly in their severity, the range of possible outcome for your bail hearing will also vary depending on which crime with which you take been charged

A skilled gun possession defense lawyer like those at Young Marr & Associates will empathise how to make the best case for you lot to be released. We know the factors the approximate volition take into consideration, including your ties to the community through family and employment, your flight take a chance, and your criminal history or lack thereof. Nosotros can besides help guide you through the process of posting bail and retaining the services of a bail bondsman if this is necessary.

Preliminary Hearing

One thing that happens in the criminal process in Pennsylvania that is somewhat unique is the holding of a preliminary hearing for every case. This hearing must occur no more than 21 days later the preliminary arraignment. At the preliminary hearing, the Republic'due south chaser will present the evidence nerveless by the arresting officers to demonstrate that there is probable cause to believe you accept committed the alleged robbery. The standard in this hearing is that the Commonwealth's attorney must prove that you lot are more likely than not to have committed the robbery.

Your attorney volition be permitted to debate your side of the matter and present a case as to why the evidence does not run into the standard of proving that you are more likely than non to have committed the gun crime with which you have been charged. If this argument is successful, the robbery charges volition be dropped. If the Commonwealth's attorney's argument is successful, the case will keep. However, this hearing can oft be helpful even if information technology does not go the charges dropped, equally information technology volition requite our veteran trial attorneys at Immature, Marr & Associates a adventure to see how the prosecutor'south show and witnesses perform in a court setting and to get an idea of how strong or weak their case may be.

Formal Arraignment

The formal arraignment will exist held later on the preliminary hearing. This is the outcome where you are asked to enter an initial plea of guilty or not guilty. Unless we have already come up to an acquiescent plea bargain with the prosecutor, our experienced attorneys for a Pennsylvania criminal arraignment at Immature, Marr & Assembly are likely to suggest you to plead not guilty while nosotros collect all the discovery and assess the strength of the authorities'south case against you. The plea can easily exist inverse t guilty later if you wish to accept a deal.

Plea Bargaining

After the preliminary hearing has concluded, your chaser volition likely begin negotiating with the Republic'south attorney regarding a potential bargain for you lot. Depending on the type of gun charge that yous are facing, and whether you are a first-time offender, you may be eligible for pre-trial diversionary programs like ARD. If we tin convince the prosecutor to allow you into such a program, and you complete it successfully, your charges will be dropped and you will not have a criminal tape. If pre-trial diversion is not on the table in your case, other possible deals include a situation where you plea to a lesser criminal offence or one where the Republic recommends that the approximate impose minimal punishment on you in exchange for you giving up your right to a trial.

Trial

At trial, the Democracy'due south attorney must prove all elements of the robbery charge beyond a reasonable dubiousness. Your attorney will have the opportunity to present bear witness and phone call witnesses. Later both sides have made their case, the jury will vote on whether to carry or convict you lot. The jury vote must be unanimous in order to captive y'all. If the trial is a bench trial, the judge will issue a ruling finding you guilty or not guilty. For most gun crimes, you will accept an automatic right to a trial by jury, but will also take the pick to cull a bench trial if you wish. Such a decision should be fabricated in consultation with your chaser after they have reviewed all the evidence and exhausted all potential pre-trial resolutions.

Sentencing

If you are bedevilled of a gun offense like illegal possession of a firearm, the instance will proceed to what is known as a sentencing hearing. At a sentencing hearing the gauge will make up one's mind what penalties to impose on you for your conviction. For most gun crime convictions, the judge has a good amount of discretion in deciding how harsh your penalties volition exist, although in some cases there may exist a mandatory minimum or maximum sentence imposed by statute. A skilled criminal defense lawyer like those at Young, Marr & Associates will know how to argue for more lenient penalties past showing evidence of your good conduct and reputation outside of this detail incident.

Pennsylvania Criminal Defense Lawyers Offering Gratuitous Consultations

If you've been charged with gun possession or other weapons crimes in Pennsylvania or New Bailiwick of jersey, you're facing tough criminal penalties.  You need an experienced criminal defense force attorney on your side in courtroom.  To set up a free, completely confidential legal consultation, call the constabulary offices of Young, Marr & Assembly right abroad at (609) 755-3115 in New Jersey or (215) 701-6519 in Pennsylvania.

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Source: https://www.youngmarrlaw.com/does-pennsylvania-have-concealed-carry-reciprocity/

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