CENTER TWP — Firearm laws vary from state to state and occasionally change over time.

To help residents stay informed on Pennsylvania's firearm laws, state Rep. Tedd Nesbit, R-8th, hosted a concealed carry seminar at the Unionville Fire Department Wednesday night.

“This is an educational event to support the 2nd Amendment,” Nesbit said. “With that right comes the responsibility for responsible gun ownership.”

Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe and Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger spoke at the event.

Slupe said it is important for gun owners to know Pennsylvania gun laws because they differ from other states.

Slupe said open carry is permitted in Pennsylvania, meaning residents can have visible guns on their body in most places, excluding exceptions like federal property, public schools, courthouses and Philadelphia.

Residents also do not need a license to have a firearm in their home or a fixed place of business.

But carrying a concealed firearm does require a license, which is issued through the sheriff's office.

A gun is considered concealed if it is hidden beneath clothing. In Pennsylvania, residents also need a concealed carry license to have a gun in a vehicle, in most cases.

“You can carry (a gun) downtown, but once you get to your car, you better have a license,” Slupe said.

Concealed carry licenses are issued for five years. An application with two references must be completed at the sheriff's office, which includes a $20 fee.

A criminal-background check is part of the application process.

People who have been convicted of felonies, have had three DUIs within five years, and have committed enumerated offenses are not eligible for the license.

While a concealed carry license allows a person to carry a firearm, that too comes with some stipulations.

For example, Slupe said gun rights are different when in a private business. He said the manager of a store or restaurant can ask a person carrying a gun to leave without violating any laws.

“It's their business,” he said. “If you don't leave, you will be charged with criminal trespass.”

A Pennsylvania gun license also is not valid in all other states.

South Carolina, for example, does not honor Pennsylvania's concealed carry permit, meaning it would be illegal for a Butler County resident to have a loaded gun in his vehicle in that state.

While the concealed carry law was a main point of the seminar, it also included talks on the state's Castle Doctrine law, which allows residents to use self-defense without fear of prosecution if they believe an intruder intends to cause them or their family serious harm in an attack.

Goldinger said residents have the right to defend themselves with firearms.

“If you are in a place you have a right to be in, and you are confronted with force, you have the right to defend yourself with the force met,” he said.

Goldinger used an example of an off-duty state trooper in the county who shot a man who appeared on his porch brandishing a gun.

Goldinger did not file any charges against the trooper because he was protecting himself and his family.

“Him being a state trooper had nothing to do with my decision,” he said. “And it was an easy decision to make.”

Goldinger said a resident does not have to be in his home to protect himself.

“The doctrine was expanded a couple years ago to make a man's body his castle,” he said.

While residents have the right to defend themselves, Goldinger said they cannot use excessive force.

He said if a person is not threatening serious harm, then using deadly force is not permitted.