| PRINTER'S NO. 564  | 
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.  | 521  | Session of 2013  | 
INTRODUCED BY WATERS, BROWNLEE, MCCARTER, BISHOP, SCHLOSSBERG, THOMAS, V. BROWN, COHEN, ROEBUCK, KINSEY, BRIGGS, GAINEY, KIRKLAND, SIMS, STURLA AND SANTARSIERO, FEBRUARY 5, 2013
REFERRED TO COMMITEE ON JUDICIARY, FEBRUARY 5, 2013
AN ACT
1Amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania
 2Consolidated Statutes, in firearms and other dangerous
 3articles, further providing for licenses.
4The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 5hereby enacts as follows:
6Section 1.   Section 6109(e) of Title 18 of the Pennsylvania
 7Consolidated Statutes is amended and the section is amended by
 8adding a subsection to read:
9§ 6109.   Licenses.
10* * *
11(e)   Issuance of license.--
12(1)   A license to carry a firearm shall be for the
 13purpose of carrying a firearm concealed on or about one's
 14person or in a vehicle and shall be issued if, after an
 15investigation not to exceed 45 days, it appears that the
 16applicant is an individual concerning whom no good cause
 17exists to deny the license, and the applicant has obtained 
18firearm liability insurance as provided under subsection 
	
						
						1(e.1). A license shall not be issued to any of the following:
2(i)   An individual whose character and reputation is
 3such that the individual would be likely to act in a
 4manner dangerous to public safety.
5(ii)   An individual who has been convicted of an
 6offense under the act of April 14, 1972 (P.L.233, No.64),
 7known as The Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and
 8Cosmetic Act.
9(iii)   An individual convicted of a crime enumerated
 10in section 6105.
11(iv)   An individual who, within the past ten years,
 12has been adjudicated delinquent for a crime enumerated in
 13section 6105 or for an offense under The Controlled
 14Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act.
15(v)   An individual who is not of sound mind or who
 16has ever been committed to a mental institution.
17(vi)   An individual who is addicted to or is an
 18unlawful user of marijuana or a stimulant, depressant or
 19narcotic drug.
20(vii)   An individual who is a habitual drunkard.
21(viii)   An individual who is charged with or has been
 22convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a
 23term exceeding one year except as provided for in section
 246123 (relating to waiver of disability or pardons).
25(ix)   A resident of another state who does not
 26possess a current license or permit or similar document
 27to carry a firearm issued by that state if a license is
 28provided for by the laws of that state, as published
 29annually in the Federal Register by the Bureau of
 30Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms of the Department of the
 	
						
						1Treasury under 18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(19) (relating to
 2definitions).
3(x)   An alien who is illegally in the United States.
4(xi)   An individual who has been discharged from the
 5armed forces of the United States under dishonorable
 6conditions.
7(xii)   An individual who is a fugitive from justice.
 8This subparagraph does not apply to an individual whose
 9fugitive status is based upon nonmoving or moving summary
 10offense under Title 75 (relating to vehicles).
11(xiii)   An individual who is otherwise prohibited
 12from possessing, using, manufacturing, controlling,
 13purchasing, selling or transferring a firearm as provided
 14by section 6105.
15(xiv)   An individual who is prohibited from
 16possessing or acquiring a firearm under the statutes of
 17the United States.
18(xv)   An individual who has failed to obtain firearm
 19liability insurance as provided under subsection (e.1).
20(3)   The license to carry a firearm shall be designed to
 21be uniform throughout this Commonwealth and shall be in a
 22form prescribed by the Pennsylvania State Police. The license
 23shall bear the following:
24(i)   The name, address, date of birth, race, sex,
 25citizenship, height, weight, color of hair, color of eyes
 26and signature of the licensee.
27(ii)   The signature of the sheriff issuing the
 28license.
29(iii)   A license number of which the first two
 30numbers shall be a county location code followed by
 	
						
						1numbers issued in numerical sequence.
2(iv)   The point-of-contact telephone number
 3designated by the Pennsylvania State Police under
 4subsection (l).
5(v)   The reason for issuance.
6(vi)   The period of validation.
7(4)   The sheriff shall require a photograph of the
 8licensee on the license. The photograph shall be in a form
 9compatible with the Commonwealth Photo Imaging Network.
10(5)   The original license shall be issued to the
 11applicant. The first copy of the license shall be forwarded
 12to the Pennsylvania State Police within seven days of the
 13date of issue. The second copy shall be retained by the
 14issuing authority for a period of seven years. Except
 15pursuant to court order, both copies and the application
 16shall, at the end of the seven-year period, be destroyed
 17unless the license has been renewed within the seven-year
 18period.
19(e.1)   Liability insurance.--
20(1)   No individual shall be issued a license under
 21subsection (e) without providing the licensing authority with
 22a certificate of liability insurance verifying that the
 23applicant has a valid insurance policy insuring against harm
 24or damage that may arise out of the use of a firearm covered
 25by the license.
26(2)   The insurance policy shall meet all of the
 27following:
28(i)   Be in an amount of at least $1,000,000.
29(ii)   Satisfy any judgment for personal injuries or
 30property damages arising out of negligent or willful acts
 	
						
						1involving the use of an insured firearm.
2(iii)   May not cover any unlawful acts.
3(3)   An insurer who has issued a contract of firearm
 4liability insurance, or any approved self-insurance entity,
 5shall do all the following:
6(i)   Notify the licensing authority of the county in
 7which the insured resides if the firearm liability
 8insurance has been canceled or terminated. An insurer
 9shall provide a copy of the notice of cancellation or a
 10copy of the insurer's filing procedures with proof that
 11the notice was written in the normal course of business
 12and placed in the normal course of mailing.
13(ii)   Provide insurance identification certificates
 14to the insured which shall be valid only for the period
 15for which coverage has been paid by the insured.  
16Insurance identification certificates must disclose the
 17period for which coverage has been paid by the insured.
 18If the insured has financed premiums through a premium
 19finance company or is on an insurer-sponsored or agency-
20sponsored payment plan, insurance identification
 21certificates may be issued for periods of six months
 22notwithstanding that the payment by the insured may be
 23for a period of less than six months.
24(4)   A licensing authority shall not be required to
 25produce proof that notice of termination, lapse or
 26cancellation was provided to the insured in order to revoke
 27the license to carry a firearm. A licensing authority shall
 28immediately revoke a licensee's license if the licensing
 29authority receives notice that a licensee's firearm liability
 30insurance has been canceled or terminated.
						1(5)   The insurer's insurance identification certificate
 2shall be carried simultaneously with the insured firearm and
 3shall be exhibited to any law enforcement officer upon demand
 4for inspection. Failure to produce the insurance
 5identification certification shall result in the following:
6(i)   The law enforcement officer shall confiscate the
 7firearm.
8(ii)   The owner of the confiscated firearm shall be
 9provided with a signed and dated written receipt by the
 10law enforcement officer. This receipt shall include a
 11detailed identifying description indicating the serial
 12number and condition of the firearm.
13(iii)   If, within ten days, the law enforcement
 14officer does not receive proof from the owner of the
 15confiscated firearm that the owner has a valid firearm
 16liability insurance policy, the law enforcement officer
 17shall notify the licensing authority of the county in
 18which the individual resides that proof of insurance was
 19not provided and the firearm was confiscated. Upon
 20receipt of the notification, the licensing authority
 21shall immediately revoke the licensee's license to carry
 22a firearm and immediately notify the law enforcement
 23officer of the revocation.
24(iv)   A confiscated firearm shall be released to an
 25owner as follows:
26(A)   after confirmation has been received that
 27the owner's license to carry has been revoked and the
 28law enforcement officer has notified the owner that
 29the license has been revoked and that the owner may
 30no longer carry the firearm in public; or
						1(B)   the law enforcement officer has received
 2proof from the owner of the confiscated firearm that
 3the owner has a valid firearm liability insurance
 4policy.
5(6)   If a licensing authority revokes a licensee's
 6license to carry a firearm, the licensing authority may not
 7reissue the license to carry until the person furnishes proof
 8of insurance. The licensing authority shall charge a fee of
 9$50 to reissue a license to carry following a revocation.
10(7)   An individual who is in this Commonwealth with a
 11concealed firearm and possesses a valid and lawfully issued
 12license or permit to carry that firearm which has been issued
 13under the laws of another state as provided under section
 146106(b)(15) (relating to firearms not to be carried without a
 15license) shall be required to obtain firearm liability
 16insurance as provided in this section within 30 days of
 17arriving in this Commonwealth.
18(8)   An individual who fails to maintain liability
 19insurance as provided under this subsection shall be subject
 20to the following:
21(i)   For a first offense, the individual shall be
 22subject to a fine of at least $1,000.
23(ii)   For a second offense, the individual shall be
 24subject to a fine of at least $5,000.
25(iii)   For a third offense, the individual commits a
 26a misdemeanor of the third degree and shall be subject to
 27a fine of at least $10,000.
28(iv)   For a fourth and subsequent offense, the
 29individual commits a misdemeanor of the second degree and
 30shall be subject to a fine of at least $15,000.
						1* * *
2Section 2.   This act shall take effect in 60 days.