Citation(s) from the GunPolicy.org literature library

Print Close

Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 2024 ‘Domestic Violence & Firearms in Pennsylvania.’ Who Can Have a Gun. San Francisco, CA: Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 22 December

Relevant contents

Domestic Violence and Firearms in Pennsylvania

Firearm Prohibitions for Domestic Violence Misdemeanants

Only persons prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms as a result of a domestic violence misdemeanor are subject to Pennsylvania's law prohibiting firearm possession by domestic violence misdemeanants…

Firearm Prohibitions for Persons Subject to Domestic Violence Protective Orders, and Relinquishment of Firearms When Domestic Violence Protective Orders Are Issued

Pennsylvania law prohibits anyone subject to a current domestic violence protective order from possessing a firearm if the protective order provides for the relinquishment of firearms. A court issuing a domestic violence protective order is authorized, but not required, to order the abuser to relinquish all of his or her firearms, as well as ammunition used or threatened to be used in an incident of abuse. Any family member or current or former sexual or intimate partner who has been subject to abuse may seek such an order. If ordered to relinquish firearms or ammunition, the abuser must then relinquish his or her firearms and ammunition to law enforcement, a licensed dealer, or a third party who has received a special "safekeeping permit" from law enforcement. In the event an abuser decides to relinquish a firearm or ammunition to a dealer or a third party, the dealer or third party must provide the abuser with a receipt describing the firearm or ammunition and the abuser must provide this receipt to law enforcement.

A plaintiff may also petition for a "temporary" order for protection from abuse if he or she alleges immediate and present danger of abuse to the plaintiff or minor children, in which case the court shall conduct an "ex parte" proceeding (without notice to the defendant). In an ex parte proceeding, the court may direct that the defendant temporarily relinquish to the sheriff any firearms or ammunition for the duration of the temporary order if the petition demonstrates abuse which involves a firearm or other weapon, or an immediate and present danger of such abuse (based on a list of factors).

Pennsylvania law requires the State Police to maintain a registry of temporary and final protection orders, court-approved consent agreements and foreign protection orders. This registry indicates whether firearms or ammunition were ordered relinquished in each protection order or consent agreement. A court that has entered a protection order or consent agreement must make the information available to the Pennsylvania State Police within 24 hours of the order…

Removal of Firearms at the Scene of a Domestic Violence Incident

Pennsylvania law grants a police officer a right of arrest without a warrant whenever he or she has probable cause to believe the defendant has committed involuntary manslaughter, assault, reckless endangerment, terroristic threats or stalking against a "family or household member" even if the offense did not take place in the officer's presence, if the officer first observes recent physical injury to the victim or other corroborative evidence. Pennsylvania law requires the arresting police officer in this situation to seize all weapons used by the defendant in the commission of the offense.

In addition, Pennsylvania law grants a police officer a right of arrest without a warrant whenever he or she has probable cause to believe the defendant has violated a protection order, even if the violation was not committed in the presence of the police officer. Subsequent to the arrest, the police officer must seize all firearms and ammunition used or threatened to be used during the violation of the protection order or during prior incidents of abuse, and any other firearms in the defendant's possession…

[Editor's note: The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence regularly updates its webpages with new data as US gun regulation evolves state by state. For the most up-to-date information on US gun laws, please refer to the Giffords URL below]

ID: Q7044

As many publishers change their links and archive their pages, the full-text version of this article may no longer be available from the original link. In this case, please go to the publisher's web site or use a search engine.

Array
(
    [type] => 8
    [message] => Trying to get property 'websource' of non-object
    [file] => /home/gpo/public_html/components/com_gpo/helpers/citation.php
    [line] => 153
)