Middleburg man accused of lying on gun form in Union County

State police in Milton allege a Middleburg man lied about his criminal history while applying for a firearm in Union County on July 8.

Under state law, a license-to-carry application must use a uniform form prescribed by Pennsylvania State Police statewide. The form includes a signed statement that the applicant has never been convicted of a disqualifying crime and warns that knowingly false statements are subject to penalties prescribed by law. The sheriff is required to investigate the applicant’s criminal conviction record, possible disqualifying convictions, character and reputation and any other statutory bars before a license is issued.

Pennsylvania law also bars certain convicted or otherwise disqualified people from possessing, using, controlling, selling, transferring, manufacturing or obtaining a firearm license in the commonwealth. Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History, known as PATCH, checks applicant-submitted information against the criminal-history database maintained by the PSP Central Repository. When the system returns no record, the result is immediate 85% of the time.

The Pennsylvania Instant Check System, or PICS, has been in place since July 1, 1998, and the Firearms Division keeps records tied to firearm licensing and transfers. The fee for a PICS check for a firearm purchase or transfer is $2, while the total fee for a License to Carry a Firearm is $19, with $1 remitted to PSP.

When someone tries to provide false information on a state or federal firearms form, an investigation is opened and referred to the appropriate law-enforcement agency. In Union County, that means the Milton office becomes the point of contact for a case that begins with paperwork but can move quickly into criminal scrutiny if an applicant is found to have concealed a disqualifying history.