Legal and Illegal Weapons You Can Carry in Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh weapon laws are broad, and most of them are state laws. The type of weapon, its status, and your location all factor in when deciding whether you were lawfully or unlawfully possessing a weapon. Pennsylvania’s offensive weapons statute, 18 Pa.C.S. § 908, lists the items you cannot possess or carry anywhere in the state, including Pittsburgh.
Quick Answers
- Brass knuckles: illegal to carry in Pennsylvania.
- Tasers and stun guns: legal for adults who may lawfully possess weapons. No license is required.
- Pepper spray: legal for adults to carry and use for self-defense.
- Switchblades and automatic knives: legal. Pennsylvania removed them from its list of prohibited offensive weapons.
- Batons: treated as an offensive weapon. Do not carry one.
- Throwing stars: illegal.
The sections below explain each answer and cover firearms, knives, and the penalty for carrying a prohibited weapon.
Weapons & PA Law
Before you carry in public, you must know relevant laws that apply to firearms and other weapons. For example, in Pennsylvania, you do not need a license to purchase or open carry a firearm.
However, you do need a License to Carry Firearms for a concealed gun. Understanding how these laws apply to you can make the difference between being arrested and abiding by the law.
Pittsburgh follows state law on weapons classification, and the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office prosecutes violations in the Court of Common Pleas. The critical distinction is whether the weapon has a lawful purpose. Self-defense tools with a clear non-lethal use are generally permitted, while weapons designed solely to inflict injury without lawful use are prohibited. If you have been charged, our team handles Pittsburgh firearms and weapons charges across Allegheny County.
Penalties for Carrying a Prohibited Offensive Weapon
Possessing or carrying a prohibited offensive weapon is a first-degree misdemeanor under § 908. A conviction carries up to 5 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Prosecutors can also file a separate charge of possessing instruments of crime when an item, even one that is legal to own, is carried with the intent to use it criminally.
What Weapons Are Legal to Carry in Pittsburgh
Certain weapons are permitted within the city limits of Pittsburgh.
Is It Legal to Carry a Gun in Pittsburgh?
It is legal to carry a standard firearm in the open in Pittsburgh. However, to conceal carry, you must have a license and be at least 21 years of age. State law, not a city ordinance, decides which firearms you may own and carry in Pittsburgh.
Non-Lethal Weapons for Self Defense
Non-lethal weapons carried for self-defense are allowed in Pittsburgh. That includes things like pepper spray, mace, stun guns, and Tasers. However, these items may only be carried for self-defense. You must be at least 18 years of age to possess a stun gun in Pittsburgh. No license is needed to carry a stun gun or Taser, but anyone who is prohibited from possessing weapons under Pennsylvania law may not have one.
Carrying one of these items is legal. Using it on another person is justified only when Pennsylvania’s self-defense rules allow it, including Pennsylvania’s Castle Doctrine and stand your ground law.
Knives
The sale, possession, and carrying of knives are not as heavily regulated as firearms. However, there are still rules that must be followed. Most knives with everyday uses are not prohibited. That includes pocket knives, machetes, hunting knives, razors, butterfly or balisong knives, daggers, and buck or bowie knives.
Switchblades and other automatic knives are legal as well. Pennsylvania removed them from the offensive weapons statute, so the old state ban no longer applies. What § 908 still prohibits is any implement made for the infliction of serious bodily injury that serves no common lawful purpose, and a blade with no everyday use can fall into that category.
What Weapons Are Illegal to Carry in Pittsburgh
Illegal weapons generally have no non-lethal purpose.
Offensive Weapons
Pennsylvania’s criminal code makes it illegal to carry what is considered an “offensive weapon.” Under § 908, offensive weapons include brass knuckles, blackjacks, sawed-off shotguns, bombs, and any other implement for the infliction of serious bodily injury that serves no common lawful purpose. Throwing stars and batons fall under that last category, so do not carry either one.
Switchblades are no longer on that list. The Federal Switchblade Act of 1958 still restricts shipping and selling switchblades across state lines, but it does not ban carrying one inside Pennsylvania.
Assault Rifles and Firearm Accessories
In 2019, Pittsburgh City Council passed ordinances that tried to restrict assault weapons, large capacity magazines, armor penetrating ammunition, and rapid fire devices within city limits. Pennsylvania courts struck down those ordinances because state law preempts local firearm regulation, so they are not enforceable. State law controls which firearms and accessories you may own and carry in Pittsburgh, and Pennsylvania has no state assault weapons ban. Firearms that § 908 lists as offensive weapons, such as sawed-off shotguns, are still illegal, and the licensing rules for concealed carry still apply.
Prohibited Weapons that Are Not Firearms
Pennsylvania’s offensive weapons statute also reaches any implement for the infliction of serious bodily injury that serves no common lawful purpose. Bombs and grenades are named in § 908 itself, and the statute’s catch-all covers other military weapons. Prohibited weapons include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Anti-tank guns
- Bazookas
- Bombs
- Booby traps
- Flamethrowers
- Grenades
- Mines
- Mortar shells
Fake Firearms are Prohibited in Certain Circumstances
Pittsburgh also prohibits carrying a fake firearm in a vehicle or on a person, whether it is concealed or unconcealed, with the intent to alarm, intimidate, terrify, or threaten any person. This applies to carrying facsimile firearms on private and public locations.
How Does a Weapon’s Status Impact Its Legality?
Sometimes the status of a weapon or where it is used determines whether it is legal in Pittsburgh.
Legal Discharge of a Weapon in Pittsburgh
In most circumstances, it is illegal to discharge a weapon, including ammunition or arrows, in any public place within the City of Pittsburgh.
However, you can discharge a weapon in the following circumstances:
- Under appropriate supervision at established target ranges
- When permitted by other laws
- When an air gun is discharged on private property or the property of a consenting individual
A public place may include streets, parks, public buildings, public accommodations, businesses, and other open spaces available to the general public.
Lawful Use of Weapons for Hunting
Individuals are permitted to lawfully possess a firearm on their own property or another consenting individual’s property for lawful hunting purposes.
License to Carry a Concealed Firearm in Pittsburgh
While you can open carry a firearm without a license in Pittsburgh, you must have a permit to concealed carry.
The same license covers your vehicle. If you hold a License to Carry Firearms, you may carry a loaded gun in your car. Without a license, carrying a gun in a vehicle is a crime in Pennsylvania, with only a short list of transport exceptions.
Frequently Asked Questions About Weapons in Pittsburgh
Are brass knuckles legal in PA?
No. Brass knuckles are classified as prohibited offensive weapons under 18 Pa.C.S. § 908. Possession is a first-degree misdemeanor carrying up to 5 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Even carrying them concealed for self-defense does not provide legal protection in Pennsylvania.
Are stun guns legal in Pittsburgh?
Yes. Stun guns and Tasers are legal for adults in Pennsylvania, and no license is needed to own or carry one for self-defense. The only people who cannot have one are those who are prohibited from possessing weapons under Pennsylvania law. Using a stun gun on someone for an unlawful purpose is a separate crime.
Can you carry pepper spray in Pennsylvania?
Yes. Pepper spray (OC spray) is legal for self-defense for anyone 18+. No permit is required. Minors cannot purchase pepper spray, but adults may carry it for lawful self-defense purposes without special licensing.
Is a baton legal to carry in PA?
Do not carry one. Pennsylvania treats batons, including expandable batons and nightsticks, as prohibited offensive weapons under 18 Pa.C.S. § 908, and carrying one can be charged as a first-degree misdemeanor. Lawful possession for occupational purposes, such as security or law enforcement work, may be protected, but that exception does not cover carrying a baton for personal self-defense.
Are throwing stars legal in PA?
Throwing stars (shuriken) fall under prohibited offensive weapons in Pennsylvania under 18 Pa.C.S. § 908. Possession alone can result in misdemeanor charges. These weapons have no recognized lawful purpose in Pennsylvania and are strictly prohibited.
Contact Worgul, Sarna & Ness About a Weapons Charge in Pittsburgh
You have a constitutional right to have a firearm. However, that right can legally be limited by federal and state law, and Pennsylvania law decides what type of weapons you can carry, when, and where.
You should immediately contact a Pittsburgh criminal lawyer if you are arrested and charged with a weapons crime. Worgul, Sarna & Ness, Criminal Defense Attorneys, LLC is here for you. Call us at (412) 281-2146 or contact us online for a case consultation.
Written & Reviewed By
Michael Worgul, Esq.
Pittsburgh Criminal Defense Attorney
Worgul, Sarna & Ness, Criminal Defense Attorneys, LLC
Pennsylvania Bar · Admitted 2004 · U.S. District Court, Western District of PA
Michael Worgul has practiced criminal defense in Pittsburgh for over 20 years, handling cases across the full criminal spectrum, from misdemeanor traffic charges to federal racketeering. After graduating from Duquesne University School of Law (J.D., 2004), he spent two years representing indigent defendants at the Allegheny County Office of Conflict Counsel before founding his firm in 2008. He has completed 30+ jury trials, compared to a career average of 7 for most attorneys.
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Content reviewed for legal accuracy. This is not legal advice.