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Under Pennsylvania law, firearm dealers must provide a record of the auction of handguns and certain other firearms to the Firearms Division of the Pennsylvania State Constabulary ("PSP"), which maintains a permanent database of handgun sales.one Yet, this database does not constitute a registry of gun ownership, and PSP maintains no record of long gun sales.2 Pennsylvania law specifically prevents whatever provision of its law from assuasive whatever government or law enforcement agency to create a registry of firearm ownership.3 Country law also requires PSP to destroy any application or tape of sale of a long gun inside 72 hours of the background check.4

In Allegheny Canton Sportsmen's League 5. Rendell, 860 A.2d ten (Pa. 2004), the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania interpreted these provisions to permit PSP to maintain a database of the purchasers of handguns, but not of long guns.five

In add-on, Pennsylvania's law regarding domestic violence contains a similar provision, stating that it does not allow any person or entity to create a registry of firearm ownership, although information may be retained to ensure compliance with these statutes and to document the return of firearms to persons no longer subject area to protective orders.6 Such data is not discipline to public disclosure.

See the section entitled Retention of Sales / Background Check Records in Pennsylvania for further information about sales reporting requirements.

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  1. 18 Pa. Cons. Stat. Ann. § 6111(b).[↩]
  2. Allegheny Canton Sportsmen's League five. Rendell, 860 A.2d 10, 16 (Pa. 2004).[↩]
  3. Pursuant to 18 Pa. Cons. Stat. Ann. § 6111.4, "nothing in this chapter shall be construed to permit any authorities or law enforcement agency or whatsoever agent thereof to create, maintain or operate whatever registry of firearm ownership" within Pennsylvania. 18 Pa. Cons. Stat. Ann. § 6111(b)(1.1)(v), relating to background checks for firearm transfers, provides that "no information on the awarding/record of sale provided pursuant to this subsection shall be retained as precluded by section 6111.4…by the Pennsylvania Land Police either through retention of the application/record of sale or by entering the information onto a computer."[↩]
  4. 18 Pa. Cons. Stat. Ann. § 6111(b)(1.one)(v).[↩]
  5. 18 Pa. Cons. Stat. Ann. § 6111(b)(1.1)(v)'s requirement that applications and records of sale of long guns be destroyed inside 72 hours does non employ to applications and records of sale of handguns. Rendell, 860 A.second at 18. The database maintained by the PSP did not constitute a registry of firearm ownership because information technology only contained applications and records of auction. Id. at 22.[↩]
  6. 23 Pa. Cons. Stat. Ann. § 6108.four states that nothing in 23 Pa. Cons. Stat. Ann. §§ 6101-6122 (regarding domestic violence) shall be construed to allow any person or entity to create, maintain or operate a database or registry of firearm ownership.[↩]