21 total bills, 7 anti-gun bills,
3 pro-gun bills for this session
Proposed Delaware Firearm Legislation
21 total bills, 7 anti-gun bills,
3 pro-gun bills for this session
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Filter: Click on bill number for details. jump to upper chamber
note: Delaware carries over legislation from odd-numbered years to even numbered years without exception
Title: An Act To Amend Title 11 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Weapons.
Description: Importers, manufacturers and dealers of destructive weapons are licensed and regulated under Federal law. Under existing Delaware law, importers, manufacturers and dealers of destructive weapons are not permitted to deliver them to purchasers in Delaware who are otherwise permitted to own such weapons, such as military or police forces. This Bill will permit properly licensed importers, manufacturers and dealers to possess and store destructive weapons in this State and engage in activities associated with the sale and delivery of such weapons to (or from) qualified purchasers.
Last Action: Passed By House. Votes: 32 YES 7 NO 2 ABSENT
Last Action Date: June 27, 2018
Title: An Act To Amend Title 11 Relating To Illegal Purchases Of Firearms.
Description: This Act raises the first offense of purchasing or obtaining a firearm for someone not legally qualified to own, possess or purchase one from a Class F to a Class E Felony. This change is to deter such "straw purchases" by making jail time more likely for the offender, and consequently, to reduce the number of people who cannot legally possess firearms but obtain them in this manner.
Last Action: Signed by Governor
Last Action Date: April 18, 2018
Title: An Act To Amend Title 11 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Possession Of A Weapon In A Safe School And Recreation Zone.
Description: This bill gives local school boards or charter school boards more discretion on a case by case basis to suspend students for the possession of a deadly weapon other than a firearm in a Safe School or Recreation Zone. This bill is the result of a case in the Brandywine School District.
Last Action: Signed by Governor
Last Action Date: September 29, 2017
Title: An Act To Amend Titles 10 And 11 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Lethal Violence Protection Orders.
Description: This Substitute Act incorporates House Bill No. 222, and also makes the following changes to House Bill No. 222:
Last Action: Signed by Governor
Last Action Date: June 27, 2018
Title: An Act To Amend Titles 11 And 29 Of The Delaware Code Relating To The Licensing Of Individuals To Carry Deadly Weapons Concealed.
Description: This Act is designed to centralize and modernize Delawares system for licensing its citizens to carry concealed deadly weapons. The current statutory scheme dates as far back as the Code Revision of 1974 and was not designed to handle the volume of applicants and licensees that are being experienced today, a volume that has at times unfairly overwhelmed both the Courts and the Office of the Attorney General.
Last Action: Stricken in House
Last Action Date: May 3, 2018
Title: An Act To Amend Title 11 Of The Delaware Code Relating To The Possession Of Deadly Weapons.
Description: This act clarifies that the felony of Possession of a Deadly Weapon by a Person Prohibited shall not apply to persons who are prohibited from possessing a deadly weapon solely by their possession of a personal use quantity of marijuana, when such possession qualifies as a civil penalty under Title 16. This bill addresses the legal issue in State v. Murray (Del. Super. 2017).
Last Action: Tabled in Committee
Last Action Date: January 17, 2018
Title: An Act To Amend Title 11 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Possession Of Deadly Weapons By Persons Prohibited And Title 16 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Health And Safety.
Description: This Act is designed to create procedures in Delaware for making sure firearms are not in the hands of dangerous people while protecting due process and not creating a barrier to care for those suffering from mental illness. This Act intends to put Delaware at the forefront of this important issue by not simply looking narrowly for mental illness. Statistically, mental illness has little to do with homicide perpetration but conversely increases the chance of being a victim of violence. This bill looks instead for propensities of violence, a much more reliable and evidence-based metric. This metric will also ensure that we can provide care to those more likely to commit violent acts and help destigmatize mental illness here in Delaware. Specific components of this Act are set forth below.
Last Action: Introduced and Assigned to House Administration Committee in House
Last Action Date: December 14, 2017
Title: An Act To Amend Title 11 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Destructive Weapons.
Description: This bill makes it a crime to sell, transfer, buy, receive or possess a trigger crank or bump-fire device designed to accelerate the rate of fire of a semiautomatic rifle, making such weapon function more like an automatic weapon. A bump stock was used by the gunman in Las Vegas in October 2017. Violation of this provision is a Class E felony.
Last Action: Signed by Governor
Last Action Date: June 14, 2018
Title: An Act To Amend Title 11 And Title 16 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Individuals With Mental Illness.
Description: This Substitute Act incorporates House Bill No. 302, and also makes the following changes to House Bill No. 302:
Last Action: Signed by Governor
Last Action Date: April 30, 2018
Title: An Act To Amend Title 11 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Firearms.
Description: This bill changes the age of a person to whom another person can sell, give or transfer a firearm or ammunition for a firearm from 18 to 21. However, this bill permits a person to sell, give or transfer a firearm or ammunition for a firearm to a person under 21 years of age if the person under 21 is an active member of the United States Armed Forces or a law-enforcement officer or possesses a license to carry a concealed deadly weapon. The prohibition against the sale or transfer of a firearm to a person under 21 does not apply if that person is over 18 and the firearm is a shotgun or muzzle-loading rifle or if the ammunition is for such weapons. This bill does permit the transfer of a firearm or ammunition to a person under 21 so long as such transfer is without compensation and the person transferring is the parent or guardian of the person under 21 or has the permission of the parent or guardian. This bill increases the age from 18-21 for the person who must directly supervise a child under the age of 16 who is in possession of a firearm, BB, air, or spear gun.
Last Action: Amendment SA 5 to HS 1 - Introduced and Placed With Bill
Last Action Date: March 29, 2018
Title: An Act To Amend Title 11 Of The Delaware Code Relating To The Possession Of Deadly Weapons.
Description: Modeled after legislation passed in New Jersey on August 8, 2013, this legislation prohibits a person named on the federal terrorist watchlist from purchasing, owning, possessing or controlling a deadly weapon or ammunition for a firearm within the State.
Last Action: Tabled in Committee
Last Action Date: April 25, 2018
Title: An Act To Amend Title 16 Of The Delaware Code Relating To The Community Firearm Recovery Program.
Description: This bill adds bump stocks and trigger crank devices to the list of firearms that may be safely removed from the community.
Last Action: Introduced and Assigned to Public Safety & Homeland Security Committee in House
Last Action Date: March 28, 2018
Title: An Act To Amend Title 11 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Safe Storage Of Firearms.
Description: This Act revises the crime of "unlawfully permitting a child access to a firearm," an existing class A misdemeanor under Delaware law. The offense is renamed "unsafe storage of a firearm" to place emphasis on firearm safety and proper storage. Under the revised statute, a crime is committed when a person intentionally or recklessly stores or leaves a loaded firearm where a minor or other person prohibited by law, or unauthorized person, can access the firearm, and the unauthorized person obtains the firearm. The unauthorized persons use of the firearm to inflict serious physical injury or death is not an element of the offense, but is an aggravating factor. For the purposes of this offense, stores and leaves does not include when firearm is carried by or under the control of the owner or another lawfully-authorized user.
Last Action: Assigned to Judicial & Community Affairs Committee in Senate
Last Action Date: May 10, 2018
Title: An Act To Amend Title 11 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Prohibited Conduct In Connection With Large-capacity Magazines.
Description: This Act prohibits the manufacture, sale, purchase, transfer, or delivery of large-capacity magazines, which are defined as ammunition feeding devices with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds.
Last Action: Reported Out of Committee (Judiciary) in House with 7 On Its Merits
Last Action Date: May 9, 2018
Title: An Act To Amend Title 11 And Title 16 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Health And Safety.
Description: This Act replaces House Bill No. 285 and, in so doing, removes provisions of House Bill No. 285 related to creating an order of relinquishment process for removing firearms or ammunition from an individual subject to a report from a mental health provider under ยง 5402 of Title 16 as these provisions are now exclusively contained in House Substitute No. 1 for House Bill No. 302.
Last Action: Amendment HA 1 to HB 376 - Introduced and Placed With Bill
Last Action Date: May 1, 2018
Title: An Act To Amend Title 4, Title 7, Title 10, Title 11, Title 14, Title 16, Title 18, Title 19, Title 21, Title 24, Title 25, Title 28, Title 29, Title 30, And Title 31 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Technical Corrections.
Description: In every December in the years 2010 through 2015, the Code Revisors provided the General Assembly with a list of potential technical corrections they identified as they revised the Delaware Code to reflect legislation enacted that year. While technical in nature, these changes are beyond the authority of the Code Revisors to make and can only be done by the General Assembly through legislation. After reviewing the 148 items provided for the years 2010 through 2015, the following changes included in this Act are identified as technical in nature and in need of correction. Of the other 99 items, many had already been corrected, some statutes no longer existed or were subsequently amended so that the correction is no longer necessary, and some would be substantive changes.
Last Action: Signed by Governor
Last Action Date: July 17, 2017
Title: An Act To Amend Title 11 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Dangerous Weapons.
Description: This bill allows a pellet gun, airbow, and most other air guns to be possessed and utilized for hunting in Delaware, however, it does not change the classification of airbows and higher powered air rifles as firearms. The bill also does not change that possession of weapons such as zip guns and other created weapons are illegal and listed as a dangerous weapon.
Last Action: Reported Out of Committee (Judiciary) in House with 3 Favorable, 6 On Its Merits
Last Action Date: January 10, 2018
Title: An Act To Amend The Delaware Code Relating To Deadly Weapons.
Description: This Act prohibits the manufacture, sale, offer to sell, transfer, purchase, receipt, possession, or transport of assault weapons in Delaware, subject to certain exceptions. One exception relevant to individuals is that the Act does not prohibit the possession and transport of firearms that were lawfully possessed or fully applied for before the effective date of this Act; although for these firearms there are certain restrictions relating to their possession and transport after the effective date of this Act.
Last Action: Amendment SA 3 to SB 163 - Introduced and Placed With Bill
Last Action Date: June 19, 2018
Title: An Act To Amend Title 11 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Offenses Involving Deadly Weapons.
Description: This Act increases the penalties for certain offenses involving deadly weapons as follows:
Last Action: Introduced and Assigned to Judicial & Community Affairs Committee in Senate
Last Action Date: May 8, 2018
Title: An Act To Amend Title 11, Part 1, Of The Delaware Code Relating To The Delaware Criminal Code.
Description: Delawares existing Criminal Code was adopted in 1973 and was based on the Model Penal Code. Since that time, the Criminal Code has quadrupled in size and expanded to other parts of the Code without consideration to the general effects of the change on the Criminal Codes overall structure, its terminology, or its application, creating numerous inconsistencies, redundancies, ambiguities and contradictions. In 2014, the General Assembly established the Criminal Justice Improvement Committee to review opportunities for efficiencies in the Delaware Criminal Code, including identifying: disproportionate, redundant, outdated, duplicative, or inefficient statutes and crimes that should or should not constitute potential jail time. The Criminal Justice Improvement Committee Working Group was created to accomplished the Criminal Justice Improvement Committees stated goals and has worked diligently for the last three years, in concert with other criminal justice stakeholders, to restore the criminal code to a clear, readable, and proportional code. The recommendations found in their Final Report are the basis for this Act and its companion bill.
Last Action: Introduced and Assigned to Finance Committee in Senate
Last Action Date: May 10, 2018
Title: An Act To Amend Title 16 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Firearm Recovery Programs.
Description: This Act creates and funds, in Fiscal Year 2019, a Community Assault Weapon Recovery Program.
Last Action: Introduced and Assigned to Labor Committee in Senate
Last Action Date: June 21, 2018
