State Rep. Aaron Bernstine, R-Ellwood City, is pictured speaking on the House of Representatives floor in 2021.

A state lawmaker wants to create a new system for concealed carry of firearms in Pennsylvania.

State Rep. Aaron Bernstine, R-Ellwood City, is circulating a co-sponsorship memorandum for legislation he is drafting that would create a two-tiered concealed carry system in the commonwealth. The memorandum was filed in late December, but proposed legislative language has not yet been drafted.

The first level would no longer require law abiding citizens to obtain a permit to carry a firearm concealed in Pennsylvania. Bernstine said his proposal is rooted in his belief that Pennsylvanians have a fundamental constitutional right to keep and bear arms under the state constitution and that no License to Carry a Firearm (LTCF) is currently required for law abiding citizens to openly carry a firearm throughout Pennsylvania. The second level of Bernstine’s proposal would provide citizens the ability to obtain an optional License To Carry A Firearm permit that is valid throughout Pennsylvania and would provide for carrying firearms in other states that either recognize Pennsylvania’s License to Carry Firearms permit or have a reciprocity agreement in effect.

“This legislation will provide a new system for concealed carrying of firearms for Pennsylvanians,” Bernstine wrote in his co-sponsorship memorandum. “If a citizen passes a criminal background check to purchase a new firearm it is patently unjust and constitutionally questionable to add layers of bureaucratic regulations on those who are least likely to commit a crime just because the citizen prefers to carry his weapon concealed. Then when one examines the enforcement of the laws, against criminals, for ‘carrying firearms without a license’ the reasoning behind mandating a license ‘only’ for law abiding citizens quickly falls apart.”

There are 1,664,726 License to Carry permits active in Pennsylvania as of Jan. 2 as well as 9,341 Sportsman permits. State law requires concealed carry permit holders to be at least 21 years old and have a valid License to Carry Firearms permit. Concealed carry permit holders can’t have been convicted of a felony, drug offense, or domestic violence crime, not been adjudicated delinquent within the last 10 years and not have a history of mental illness or been involuntarily committed to a mental institution. Also, concealed carry permit holders must be a citizen and not be a fugitive from justice and not be dishonorably discharged from the military.

Applications are submitted to the county Sheriff’s Office, which then conducts a background check and can interview references in a process that should take no more than 45 days.