I’ve read the CCW laws on the PA state government websites and checked all the “usual suspect” sites that come in handy for reading up on carry in each state. That being said, I’d love to know from an actual PA resident (for a potential resident) what your thoughts are on carrying in The Keystone State, particularly in the Erie area. Thanks in advance.
Gonzo

I think I can give you a PA perspective.
We lived in Western NY for a number of years where I had a NY state concealed carry permit as well as a Pennsylvania non-resident, a Utah and a Florida non-resident permit. I travel quite a bit and carry most of the the time when I would drive.

I saw no issues in the Erie area. As a matter of fact many of the Erie police i encountered (including armorer staff) were quite supportive. In PA I have found a few places I felt uneasy- Philly is one, simply because of the political lean of the city itself plus the higher than average street crime levels. (Dunno about Harrisburg as I drive by).
I have carried most all over the state and it was usually pretty routine. There are the occasional PA businesses that post anti-carry signs but certainly much less than central and Eastern NY.

However, in the last few years I have run into something (primarily around cityfolk) that I had not experienced previously.
I have always practiced situational awareness, but have seen nothing like this before- (and the police, EMT and firemen here will probably roll their eyes and say “it happens to me every day…”).

That is the mentally ill on the streets. Twice in the last few months I have been parked in downtown Pittsburgh waiting on one of my sons (who works at one of the UPMC hospitals) and had something happen.

So I am sitting parked in the vehicle with the engine running due to the weather with the doors locked.
Suddenly I realized someone was trying to vigorously open my passenger side door. At first I thought it was my son, but then quickly realized there was an agitated older man wearing a toboggan, pajamas and a heavy coat (it was about 15 degrees) staring into my passenger window. Then he motioned for me to lower the window, which wasn't gonna happen.
As soon as he realized I wasn’t going to lower the window, he began beating on the window and screaming.
I was processing this and pondering what my next act would be if he broke the window. About then a big group of nurses came down the sidewalk and he quickly stopped and walked away.

It happened again last week and that time it was a pirate. A very tall, big older woman with wild gray hair (wearing an eyepatch) came to to my car within a row of parked cars and did the very same thing. She even tried the back door handle as well. She then quickly turned and walked away up the sidewalk.

So… these people COULD be thinking I was their Uber driver, but I kinda doubt that scenario. It could even possibly be disoriented post-surgery people. But more than likely they are folks who either have mental or drug challenges.
We have family in NYC that say that they see encounters like this much more frequently on streets and subways.
(So always lock your doors)-

It’s a little off topic, but in any case I never considered these scenarios and the possible outcomes until now.
After 10 years living in PA I had never seen anything like that.

I suspect this is something that happens more than ever-

My wife and I moved to PA from WA State back in 2002. Both of us carry daily and have had no problems in the ares. We live in the S/W part of the state, outside of Pittsburgh.

Have been to Erie several times, only problem was the Erie Bayfront Convention Center a couple of years ago when we went up for an AKC Rally and Obedience trial. They had recently installed metal detectors and had no firearms notice up. I stayed in the car while she went in, she left her 26 with me. She only had to make a couple of runs and was done in about an hour. We removed that venue from our list of places to compete at.

PA is one of the most CCW friendly states you will see, what do you want to know exactly?

There is absolutely ZERO of this silly "Can't carry here" sign BS like you see in other states where you can't carry while going out to dinner because the place has a bar or business making up their own rules that you have to follow.

The only places that I CANNOT legally carry a gun in PA are:

Federal/Military installations
Airports
Primary school property
Courthouses

That is really it.

Getting your LTCF; License To Carry Firearms as we call it here is very easy to obtain compared to a lot of other states as well.

This is where you would start for Erie:

Erie County

Thanks for the very helpful replies. PA may be off the radar now, but great information to know (and reassuring) in case that changes.
Gonzo