HB 837 — An Act amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in firearms and other dangerous articles, providing for limit on handgun purchases; and establishing the Violence Prevention Account.

PRINTER'S NO.   867

                      THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                          HOUSE BILL
                          No. 837
                                                  Session of
                                                    2025

     INTRODUCED BY SHUSTERMAN, HILL-EVANS, KINKEAD, SANCHEZ,
        HANBIDGE, PIELLI, CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, SCHLOSSBERG, KHAN, DALEY,
        DONAHUE, KENYATTA, BOYD AND CURRY, MARCH 10, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, MARCH 10, 2025


                                      AN ACT
 1   Amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania
 2      Consolidated Statutes, in firearms and other dangerous
 3      articles, providing for limit on handgun purchases; and
 4      establishing the Violence Prevention Account.
 5      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 6   hereby enacts as follows:
 7      Section 1.      Title 18 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
 8   Statutes is amended by adding a section to read:
 9   § 6111.6.      Limit on handgun purchases.
10      (a)   Purchase of handgun.--No person may purchase more than
11   one handgun in this Commonwealth within a 30-day period.
12      (b)   Sale of handgun.--No person may sell or cause to be sold
13   to a person in this Commonwealth more than one handgun within a
14   30-day period.
15      (c)   Exceptions.--This section shall not apply to the
16   following:
17            (1)    A licensed firearm dealer.
18            (2)    A licensed firearm collector.
 1          (3)   A law enforcement agency or an agency authorized to
 2    perform law enforcement duties.
 3          (4)   State and local correctional facilities.
 4          (5)   A private security company licensed to do business
 5    within this Commonwealth.
 6          (6)   The purchase or sale of antique firearms.
 7          (7)   A person whose handgun is stolen or irretrievably
 8    lost if:
 9                (i)    the person provides the seller with an official
10          copy of the police report of the lost or stolen handgun,
11          or a summary of the report on a form provided by the
12          Pennsylvania State Police;
13                (ii)    the police report or summary contains the name
14          and address of the handgun owner, the description of the
15          handgun, the location of the loss or theft, the date of
16          the loss or theft and the date the loss or theft was
17          reported to the law enforcement agency;
18                (iii)    the date of the loss or theft as reflected on
19          the police report or summary occurred within 30 days of
20          the person's attempt to replace the handgun; and
21                (iv)    the seller attaches an official copy of the
22          police report or summary of the report to the original
23          sales receipt or other document evidencing the original
24          sale and retains the sales receipt or other document for
25          the period prescribed by regulation of the Pennsylvania
26          State Police.
27    (d)   Grading.--
28          (1)   Except as provided in paragraph (2), a person that
29    is convicted of violating subsection (a) or (b) commits a
30    misdemeanor of the third degree.

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 1            (2)   A person that, after being sentenced under paragraph
 2      (1), is convicted of violating subsection (a) or (b) commits
 3      a felony of the third degree.
 4      (e)   Disposition of fines collected.--A court imposing and
 5   collecting a fine for a violation of subsection (a) or (b) shall
 6   transfer the fines collected to the State Treasurer for deposit
 7   into the account.
 8      (f)   Violence Prevention Account.--The Violence Prevention
 9   Account is established within the General Fund as a nonlapsing,
10   restricted receipt account. Money in the account is appropriated
11   on a continuing basis to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime
12   and Delinquency exclusively for purposes of violence prevention,
13   including youth education and activities designed to prevent
14   violence and grants to law enforcement agencies for equipment
15   and training designed to prevent gun-related injuries.
16      (g)   Notice.--A seller shall notify each prospective
17   purchaser that the purchase of more than one handgun in a 30-day
18   period is prohibited under this section and of the applicable
19   penalties.
20      (h)   Handgun purchase history check.--In addition to any
21   other duty prescribed by this section, a seller of a handgun
22   shall request the Pennsylvania State Police to conduct a handgun
23   purchase history check to investigate whether the prospective
24   handgun purchaser is in compliance with this section. A handgun
25   purchase history check shall be conducted in accordance with the
26   procedures governing other background checks under this
27   subchapter. A handgun purchase history check shall be conducted
28   at the same time any criminal history, juvenile delinquency or
29   mental health records check is required for a firearm purchase
30   under this subchapter. Information related to a handgun purchase

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 1   provided to the Pennsylvania State Police by a seller may be
 2   retained by the Pennsylvania State Police as necessary to
 3   monitor compliance with this section.
 4      (i)   Definitions.--As used in this section, the following
 5   words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
 6   subsection unless the content clearly indicates otherwise:
 7      "Account."     The Violence Prevention Account established under
 8   subsection (f).
 9      "Handgun."     Either of the following:
10            (1)   A firearm that has a short stock and is designed to
11      be held and fired by the use of a single hand.
12            (2)   Any combination of parts from which a firearm
13      described under paragraph (1) can be assembled.
14      "Licensed firearm collector."        A person who collects firearms
15   and is licensed as a collector under 18 U.S.C. § 923 (relating
16   to licensing).
17      "Licensed firearm dealer."     A person who is licensed as a
18   firearm dealer under 18 U.S.C. § 923.
19      "Purchase."     Does not include the exchange or replacement of
20   a handgun by a seller for a handgun purchased from the seller by
21   the same person seeking the exchange or replacement within the
22   30-day period immediately preceding the date of exchange or
23   replacement.
24      Section 2.     This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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