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Pennsylvania’s background checks for gun sales, carry permits drop

After record requests for background checks over the past couple of years, Pennsylvania State Police reported a decline during this year’s first quarter.  

By Jeremy Long/WITF

Background checks for gun purchases fall after three quarters of record requests

The surge peaked in the first quarter of 2021 when 427,450 used the Pennsylvania Instant Check System or PICS. The system, established in 1998, is used by sheriffs, chiefs of police, and firearm dealers to determine if a person can purchase or carry a firearm.

By Julia Agos/WITF

Fear of law changes keep gun sales soaring in Pennsylvania

In the first quarter of 2021, the Pennsylvania Instant Check System completed 427,450 background checks. That’s up 40.2 percent from January through March 2020.

By Charles Thompson/PennLive

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Attorney General Shapiro: Pa. gun show promoter to bar ‘ghost gun’ assembly kit sales

Attorney General Josh Shapiro said the agreement with Eagle Arms Productions is the first his office is aware of in the nation to curb the sale of such “80% receiver kits” long popular among hobbyists and firearms enthusiasts.

By The Associated Press

Record for firearm background checks in Pa. shattered. Again.

“Anytime people think that the laws and regulations around firearms might change they want to get their firearms purchased before those changes happen,” said State Police spokesman Ryan Tarkowski.

By Julia Agos/WITF

How much does it help to expunge a criminal record? Western Pa. study seeks to find out

Harvard University’s Access to Justice Lab will follow people who get their records cleared over a seven-year period.
By An-Li Herring/WESA
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