First off, thanks for all the nice comments and thoughtful messages I have been receiving from my “Make Ready” column! I hope the information is proving helpful for everyone and please feel free to reach out with questions at any time.
This month I want to discuss the practices of open carry versus concealed carry and share some suggestions that may keep you safer. I am not an attorney, and I don’t dispense legal advice. I am simply bringing some matters to your attention and offering food for thought that may save you time, pain, and aggravation in the long run. This is not a comprehensive list of rules but rather, a primer for the would-be (CCW) student. The PA Firearm Owners Association (www.pafoa.org/law/carrying-firearms/concealed-carry/) and the National Rifle Association (home.nra.org/) are excellent resources.
Know the law. It’s more difficult than it sounds. We’re all guilty of taking someone’s word for it. Don’t! Find it. Read it. Study it. Look it up in the PA Crimes Code. Develop a friendship with an attorney who will share free legal advice and extended training. Attend seminars and peruse good websites and reputable sources. Commit it to memory.
We’ll begin with a working definition of concealed carry, more commonly referred to as (CCW) in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
18 Pa.C.S.A§ 6106.Firearms not to be carried without a license. (a) Offense defined. –Any person who carries a firearm in any vehicle or any person who carries a firearm concealed on or about his person, except in his place of abode or fixed place of business, without a valid and lawfully issued license under this chapter commits a felony of the third degree.
Carrying your weapon concealed on your body in public or carrying it loaded inside your vehicle is generally considered concealed carry. If you want to carry concealed, you will need to get a permit or an (LTCF) license to carry a firearm. You can start this process with a trip to the local sheriff’s office and picking up an application. Sheriff Simms and his staff are helpful and will fill you in on the process as you go. Greene County is a great place to make an ourapplication; not all counties are as (CCW) friendly as our county. “That’s all I have to say about that,” as Forest Gump would say.
Be careful where you take your weapon, concealed or otherwise. There are several places that can give you problems (see filing of criminal charges) for carrying a weapon. This includes, but is not limited to, court facilities, casinos, elementary and secondary schools, detention facilities, private property, some department of state buildings, post offices, VA buildings, hospitals, and mental hospitals. Another area of concern and again, is not permitted, is the carrying of loaded rifles or shotguns in one’s vehicle. Again, consult the legal text before doing so.
Next, let’s delve into the idea of open carry in public. This is where law begins to cross over into opinion. It is legal to carry one’s weapon openly in Pennsylvania. To the non-gun culture, this can be alarming, even disturbing. I have heard open carry proponents say, “I don’t care if they like it or not. It’s my right!” And it is, but we are in a dangerous time in America. Do we need to intentionally antagonize others simply because we can? What are you getting out of open carry? Would that same sidearm be more effectively deployed if it were introduced as a surprise in a gunfight? Is it more of a liability when it is a known quantity? Are you tipping your hand, so to speak? Admittedly, there are times when I am hunting or fishing that I, myself, carry openly? Absolutely. Is it usually the best platform? Personally, I don’t think so.
If you have questions about making the move to carrying concealed (CCW) give me a shout and we can discuss it in greater depth. Good luck with your journey.
