In an effort to further drive down shootings, Philadelphia is now requiring gun stores to post warning signs about the criminality and consequences of purchasing firearms for someone who is legally barred from owning them. The practice, known as straw purchasing, can lead to a decade in prison and a six-figure fine.

[This story was originally published by The Trace, a nonprofit newsroom covering gun violence in America. Sign up for its newsletters here.]

Many people still don’t know that straw purchasing violates state and federal law, said Mayor Cherelle Parker, who signed the local bill into law during a City Hall ceremony on September 8.

“What we’ve learned is that some people may not be aware of the law,” she said.

Parker said the new law, which takes effect as homicides and shootings are declining, is part of the City’s prevention, intervention, and enforcement strategy. As of early September, homicides were down 16.3 percent compared to the same time last year, while shootings were down 10.3 percent, according to data from the Philadelphia Police Department. Last year, homicides were down 37 percent and shootings were down 36 percent compared to 2023.

“If we keep moving in this direction we could see the lowest number of homicides and shootings in Philadelphia in half a century,” Parker said.

She and other officials said they knew of no other city that has a law requiring stores to post warnings against straw purchasing. “If our research stands firmly, we may be the first city in the nation to require a posting,” Parker said.

By putting this clearly in every gun shop, you at least know ignorance is no defense.” — City Councilmember Curtis Jones

The law requires the Philadelphia Police Department to provide the city’s seven licensed firearm dealers with free signs that must be posted near entrances and payment areas, at shooting range entrances, and by any area where customers fill out purchasing documents.

The orange signs with black letters in English and Spanish warn that purchasing guns for someone who can’t legally buy one is a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

“Stop! Think before it’s too late and you become a criminal,” the signs say.

Managers and employees at four gun shops contacted by The Trace declined to comment.

What will PA say?

The new law is the latest piece of anti-gun violence legislation the City has pursued in recent years despite Pennsylvania’s preemption law, which prohibits cities and towns from regulating the ownership, possession, and transfer of firearms.

Pennsylvania’s preemption law sometimes makes Philly’s gun regulations vulnerable. While a court in 2022 overturned Philadelphia’s law requiring gun owners to report their lost and stolen guns, last year a court upheld the city’s 2021 law banning the manufacturing of ghost guns. A law banning switch devices that allow guns to fire like automatic weapons is still on the books while it faces a lawsuit.

“We’re often the first ones. We were the first on the ghost gun ban and the machine-gun converter ban,” said Adam Garber, executive director of CeaseFirePA, which advocates for gun safety laws. He noted that York, PA recently passed a machine-gun converter ban modeled on Philly’s law.

Straw purchasing has increasingly been a problem among Philadelphia’s women, leading a prominent women’s advocacy organization to start a campaign to educate women about the crime, The Trace reported in July.

“Gun violence in Philadelphia is fueled by the black market of illegal firearms, many of which have been straw purchased,” City Solicitor Renee Garcia said. “We are hopeful that this legislation will contribute to a culture of safe and legal gun ownership.”

The pervasiveness of straw purchases

In many cases, according to police and attorneys, women who straw purchase do so because they feel they can’t say no to the men who ask them to buy weapons. Between 2020 and 2024, the percentage of women arrested for shooting and gun possession cases increased from 6 to 10 percent, according to Philadelphia Police Department data. But women make up a larger share of those charged with straw purchasing. According to data from the District Attorney’s Office, since 2018, women have accounted for 24 percent of 559 straw purchasing defendants.

The officials behind the law say they’ve witnessed such transactions up close. City Councilmember Curtis Jones, who sponsored the measure, took a field trip to a gun show in neighboring Oaks, Pennsylvania. There, he said, he witnessed a woman asking a male companion which gun he wanted her to buy, and saw others facetiming men about gun purchases. In the parking lot, he said, customers were passing their newly purchased guns to others.

“We looked with our jaws dropped and said we need to talk to our Mayor about this kind of thing. And so today, we are here addressing it,” he said. “By putting this clearly in every gun shop, you at least know ignorance is no defense.”

Mensah Dean is a staff writer at The Trace. Previously he was a staff writer on the Justice & Injustice team at The Philadelphia Inquirer, where he focused on gun violence, corruption and wrongdoing in the public and private sectors for five years. Mensah also covered criminal courts, public schools and city government for the Philadelphia Daily News, The Inquirer’s sister publication.

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