Delaware enacts three new measures that advocates say will prevent gun deaths.
One new law gives Delawareans who own guns without a serial number an avenue to register their firearm. It establishes a 6-month window for owners of “ghost guns” to get them registered with a federally licensed dealer.
Gov. Matt Meyer said, "A gun that cannot be traced is a gun that cannot be held accountable, and a person that is very hard to hold to account."
He said this law, with the other two, "reflect how we're approaching gun violence in Delaware: licensing, prevention infrastructure, and traceability."
Another bill signed establishes new state rules for firearm dealers overseen by Delaware State Police - and creates a new license for gun vendors.
It’s one of State Sen. Pro Tem Dave Sokola’s final bills before he retires. He said while Delaware’s enacted multiple gun safety measures in recent years, regulating gun vendors gets at a different side of the issue. DSP will start inspections and full enforcement by 2029.
He added ATF audits of Delaware gun vendors don’t happen regularly.
"It's important to monitor what's going on in licensed firearm dealers," he' said. "(the ATF's) recommended process was going to be once every three years. That's not happening, and so I think the responsible thing is to have the state step up and say, 'Okay, well then we're gonna we're gonna have a role in this too.'"
And a third measure formally establishes the Office of Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety, within the state Department of Safety and Homeland Security. Meyer created the office by Executive Order in 2025.
