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Pennsylvania Regional Carry Guide

Crossing into New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia and Ohio as an informed carrier — whose licenses count where, what changes at each line, what to do if you're stopped, and the best roads for the trip.

Sample cut from the edition whose sources were last read 2026-09-29

Read this first. This guide is information, education and entertainment. It is not legal advice. You are responsible for getting advice from a licensed attorney about your own situation. Sources are listed in the last section of this sample, each with the date we read it.

Short words used here. Reciprocity — One state honoring another state's carry license. Each state decides for itself, and the two directions can differ. ATF — The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which writes the federal firearms rules and the purchase form. FAQ — a page of frequently asked questions.

This sample gives you every chapter's short version, one chapter's full text (its stories stay in the book), and two of the book's 26 real-world examples. It's about 13% of the book.

Chapter 1Before you cross — the short list Full chapter text

The short version

Your Pennsylvania License to Carry works in Ohio, and likely in West Virginia. Both also let adults carry concealed without any license, West Virginia from 18 and Ohio from 21, if they may lawfully have a gun and meet each state's conditions. New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland don't honor it, and New York, New Jersey and Maryland treat an unlicensed handgun as a serious crime. Coming the other way, Pennsylvania honors only Ohio's and West Virginia's licenses among our neighbors.

🔑 Remember this one

At every state line, your Pennsylvania rights stop and the next state's rules start. Ask the question again at each border: does this state honor my license, or let me carry without one?

⚖ Where this falls short

This is a summary of six states' laws and federal law as we read them in September 2026. It's information, education and entertainment, not legal advice, and you're responsible for getting your own legal counsel. Before any trip, talk to an attorney licensed in the state you're visiting.

Chapter 2Which Pennsylvania rights travel, and which do not In the full guide

The short version

None of your Pennsylvania rights crosses the line on its own. Your License to Carry travels only where the next state honors it: Ohio, and likely West Virginia, among our neighbors. Open carry on foot, no duty to inform, and Pennsylvania's lack of a statewide magazine or ammunition limit all stop at the line. By car, federal safe passage protects a through trip followed exactly, between two places where you may lawfully possess and carry the gun, with the gun unloaded, and it and its ammunition out of reach of the passenger area (Chapter 10). By bus, train or plane, carrier and federal rules govern the bag; local state law governs getting to and from the station.

Chapter 3Your permit at each border — both directions In the full guide

The short version

Going out: Ohio honors your Pennsylvania license, and West Virginia likely does; New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland don't. Coming in: Pennsylvania honors Ohio and West Virginia resident licenses, for holders 21 and older, and none from the other four. Each direction is decided separately, by each state's own law.

Chapter 4Across the line: what is different in New York In the full guide

The short version

New York honors no other state's license, so your Pennsylvania license means nothing there. A handgun without a New York license is a felony, and with ammunition for it on you or in the car, outside your home or business, it can be charged as a loaded firearm, with a three-and-a-half-year minimum. Apart from a narrow exemption for pistol-match competitors, only federal safe passage protects a trip through. Magazines over ten rounds are a felony to possess, and a typical AR-15 is an "assault weapon." Leave the handgun in Pennsylvania.

Chapter 5Across the line: what is different in New Jersey In the full guide

The short version

New Jersey honors no other state's permit, and a handgun there without one is a second-degree crime with a mandatory prison minimum. You may move an unloaded gun, cased or locked in the trunk, on a short list of direct trips, such as to a range, or to a hunt with a valid hunting license (whose isn't stated; ask the State Police) and New Jersey's fish and game law (Title 23) followed; near schools, federal law adds limits (Chapter 10). Driving through is left to federal safe passage. Magazines over ten rounds are crimes to possess anywhere in the state, and so are hollow points outside your home, your land, a range, or a trip to one. Open carry is banned for everyone.

Chapter 6Across the line: what is different in Delaware In the full guide

The short version

Delaware doesn't honor a Pennsylvania license, so carrying concealed on one is a felony. Open carry is lawful from 21, outside the banned places. A handgun on the seat or in the console may count as concealed, so drive in with the handgun unloaded and locked in a case in the trunk. Magazines over 17 rounds are banned, bringing in a rifle Delaware calls an assault weapon is a felony, and having a gun in public while under the influence is a crime.

Chapter 7Across the line: what is different in Maryland In the full guide

The short version

Maryland honors no other state's permit. Without a Maryland permit, a handgun may travel only on a short list of trips, such as to a range or a hunt, unloaded and in an enclosed case or holster; near schools, federal law adds limits (Chapter 10). Otherwise a first offense means 30 days to five years in prison, a fine of $250 to $2,500, or both. Driving through is left to federal safe passage. Guns are banned in state parks and many public places, it's a crime to "transport an assault weapon into the State," and magazines over ten rounds can't be bought, sold, received or handed over there.

Chapter 8Across the line: what is different in West Virginia In the full guide

The short version

Since June 12, 2026, anyone 18 or older who may lawfully have a gun, and who is a U.S. citizen or legal resident, may carry concealed or openly with no license, visitors included. Your Pennsylvania license likely counts too, from 21, if you carry the card, but don't rely on it for the few extras only a license allows. Watch schools, college campuses, courthouses, jails, the State Capitol, town buildings and town property, and federal property. Refusing an owner's request to leave is a misdemeanor.

Chapter 9Across the line: what is different in Ohio In the full guide

The short version

Ohio honors your Pennsylvania license while you're in Ohio temporarily, and adults 21 or older who meet Ohio's conditions may carry concealed without one, visitors included. Under 21, there's no concealed carry, and a handgun in the car must be unloaded and cased, racked, or reachable only from outside the car; near schools, federal law adds limits (Chapter 10). Closed places include bars' drinking rooms unless you carry on a license, or concealed as a qualifying adult, and haven't had alcohol or drugs, as we advise; places of worship unless they allow it; government buildings, courthouses, police stations, jails, colleges and schools. A "no guns" sign has the force of law, except on a parking lot. If an officer asks whether you're carrying a concealed handgun, you must say so, and disclose any loaded handgun in the car.

Chapter 10Driving on through — the federal rules for crossing state lines In the full guide

The short version

Federal law follows you across every line. Its safe-passage rule protects a trip through a state where you can't carry, if the gun is unloaded and neither it nor the ammunition can be reached from the passenger compartment, and if you may lawfully have the gun at both ends. On or within 1,000 feet of school grounds, outside Pennsylvania, anywhere without a license, or with a rifle or shotgun, the gun must be unloaded and in a locked container or a locked rack on a vehicle, except on private property that isn't school grounds. Post offices, federal buildings, Army Corps lakes and military bases have their own federal rules. Greyhound won't take a gun at all; Amtrak and airlines take one only in checked baggage.

Chapter 11If you are stopped across the line In the full guide

The short version

If an Ohio officer asks whether you're carrying a concealed handgun, you must say so, disclose any loaded handgun in the car, keep your hands in sight, and not touch the gun unless told to. New Jersey makes its permit holders disclose at once, and an officer may treat its travel exemption as not applying if you won't explain your route. New York and Pennsylvania make license holders show the license on demand; Maryland makes permit holders carry the permit. We found no duty to inform in Delaware or West Virginia. Everywhere: hands on the wheel, say it early, and don't reach until told.

Chapter 12Common travel routes In the full guide

The short version

Seven common crossings into our neighbors, with the tolls, welcome centers and stops we confirmed, and the carry rule most likely to catch you on each.

Chapter 13Authorities for every state in the region In the full guide

The short version

Every state on our border has its own office for carry questions, and all but West Virginia have a page on whose licenses they honor. Check the destination state's own page before every trip; each state's law wins over any list, this book included. Here are the main offices, confirmed on September 29, 2026 except where noted.

Two stories from the book

From the examples at the end of Chapter 5

Down the shore, the long way

Mike and Terri, from Bucks County, head down the shore to Ocean City for a week. Mike has a Pennsylvania license and carries every day.

Not this week. A beach week isn't one of New Jersey's allowed trips, and his license doesn't count there. Mike's pistol stays home in Bucks County, unloaded in his safe. With the pistol at home, their only worry at the shore is parking.

From the examples at the end of Chapter 12

Gettysburg at dawn

Marcus, from Harrisburg, drives to Gettysburg for sunrise on the battlefield, then plans lunch in Frederick, Maryland. He has a Pennsylvania license.

The battlefield follows Pennsylvania law, and he could carry there. But the Museum and Visitor Center bans weapons on its grounds, which likely include its parking lots, and Maryland doesn't honor his license. So Marcus leaves his pistol at home in Harrisburg, in his safe, and enjoys the day.

What the full guide adds

Sources for this sample

The complete Pennsylvania Regional Carry Guide, in Pete's Library
Get the full guide

www.sneakypeteholsters.com/pennsylvania-regional-carry-guide/
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