Delaware Safe Storage Laws
A practical guide to Delaware firearm and projectile-weapon storage laws, including access by children or prohibited persons, locked containers, trigger locks, vehicle storage, antique-firearm exceptions and penalties for unsafe storage.
Current Law
Vehicle storage: § 1456(b)
Non-vehicle rule: firearms & projectile weapons
Unauthorized person: child or prohibited person
Delaware uses different rules outside a vehicle and inside a vehicle
The safest approach is to prevent unauthorized access and use a secure storage method appropriate to the location.
Prevent unauthorized access
Delaware’s general unsafe-storage statute applies to a loaded firearm or projectile weapon left within reach or easy access of an unauthorized person when that person obtains it and the other conditions in § 1456 are satisfied.
Unattended firearms must be secured
An unattended firearm in a vehicle must be in a locked box or container, locked firearms rack, or locked trunk.
Children & prohibited persons
Delaware defines an unauthorized person for § 1456 as a child or someone prohibited by state or federal law from owning or possessing the firearm.
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Delaware’s basic unsafe-storage rule
Delaware does not simply say that every firearm or projectile weapon inside a residence must always be locked in a safe.
Instead, § 1456 creates an offense when a person intentionally or recklessly stores or leaves a loaded firearm or projectile weapon in a place other than a vehicle within reach or easy access of an unauthorized person, that person obtains it, and the other statutory conditions are satisfied.
Important distinction
The general non-vehicle storage offense is not triggered merely because a loaded firearm or projectile weapon exists in a residence or other location. The statute requires the unauthorized person to obtain it and includes additional conditions concerning how it was stored.
What storage methods does Delaware recognize?
Section 1456 identifies several circumstances that matter when evaluating whether a firearm or projectile weapon was unsafely stored outside a vehicle.
A secure, fully enclosed container locked by a padlock, key lock, combination lock or similar locking device that, when properly engaged, renders the firearm inaccessible to anyone other than the owner or an authorized person.
A properly engaged tamper-resistant trigger lock that renders the firearm or projectile weapon inoperable by anyone other than the owner or another lawfully authorized user. The statute recognizes an exception for a projectile weapon that cannot be fitted with a trigger lock.
The statute also considers whether the firearm or projectile weapon was stored somewhere a reasonable person would have believed was secure from access by an unauthorized person.
Unattended firearms in vehicles
Delaware’s vehicle-storage rule is more direct than the general non-vehicle storage provision and, as written, applies specifically to a firearm left unattended in a vehicle.
If the firearm is left unattended in the vehicle, it must be secured
Section 1456(b) prohibits knowingly leaving an unattended firearm in a vehicle unless it is stored using one of the authorized methods below.
Does a glove compartment count?
Delaware’s definition of a locked container specifically addresses glove compartments.
A normal unlocked glove compartment is not a locked container
A glove compartment can qualify only if it can be manually locked in a way that renders the firearm inaccessible to anyone other than the owner or another authorized person.
Penalties for unsafe storage
Class B misdemeanor
Unsafe storage under the general non-vehicle provision is a Class B misdemeanor when the enhanced circumstances in § 1456(c)(2) do not apply.
Class A misdemeanor
The general non-vehicle offense is elevated to a Class A misdemeanor when the unauthorized person obtains the firearm or projectile weapon and commits or attempts a crime with it, uses it to inflict serious physical injury or death, or transfers or attempts to transfer it to another unauthorized person.
Unsafe storage of a firearm in a vehicle under § 1456(b) is generally a Class B misdemeanor. It becomes a Class A misdemeanor if an unauthorized person obtains the firearm and commits or attempts a crime with it, uses it to inflict serious physical injury or death, or transfers or attempts to transfer it to another unauthorized person.
What if someone breaks into the home?
Delaware’s general non-vehicle unsafe-storage provision specifically considers whether the unauthorized person obtained the firearm or projectile weapon as the result of an unlawful entry by any person.
Burglary is treated differently
The general offense requires that the unauthorized person did not obtain the firearm or projectile weapon as the result of unlawful entry. This distinction does not eliminate the separate vehicle-storage requirements.
A firearm under your control is different from a stored firearm
For purposes of § 1456, “stores or leaves” does not include a firearm or projectile weapon being carried by or under the control of the owner or another lawfully authorized user.
Storage law and carry law are separate
A firearm or projectile weapon being under your control for purposes of the storage statute does not necessarily mean the manner of carrying it complies with Delaware concealed-carry, restricted-location or other weapons laws.
Antique-firearm exception
Section 1456 states that the unsafe-storage offense does not apply if the firearm was manufactured in or before 1899. It also excludes a replica of such a firearm when the replica is not designed or redesigned to use rimfire or conventional centerfire fixed ammunition.
Other Delaware or federal laws may still regulate possession, carrying, transportation or use of a particular antique or replica firearm.
Vehicle-storage compliance can matter under the concealed-carry statute
Delaware’s concealed-deadly-weapon statute, § 1442(d), provides a defense when the defendant complied with the unattended-vehicle storage requirements in § 1456(b).
Compliance with § 1456(b) does not create a general license to carry concealed. It is a statutory defense identified in § 1442 and must be understood separately from Delaware CCDW licensing and other carry restrictions.
Practical firearm-storage practices
The legal minimum and the best storage method for a particular household are not always the same. Consider who may have access, how quickly the firearm needs to be available to an authorized user, and whether the storage system prevents unauthorized handling.
Safe storage is part of responsible firearm ownership
Coastal Firearms
DelawareGunLaws.com is supported by Coastal Firearms, which emphasizes lawful firearm ownership, safe handling, secure storage and firearm education.
Coastal Firearms can help Delaware firearm owners identify appropriate firearm-storage products and safety equipment, including lockboxes, safes and firearm-locking devices when available.
Frequently asked questions
Does Delaware require every firearm in my home to be locked in a safe?
Section 1456 does not impose a simple universal rule that every firearm or projectile weapon in every residence must always be locked in a safe. The general offense concerns a loaded firearm or projectile weapon left within reach or easy access of an unauthorized person who obtains it, together with the other statutory conditions.
Who is considered an unauthorized person?
For § 1456, an unauthorized person is a child or a person prohibited under state or federal law from owning or possessing a firearm or projectile weapon.
Can I leave a firearm in my vehicle?
If the firearm is left unattended, Delaware requires it to be stored in a locked box or container, locked firearms rack on the vehicle, or locked trunk.
Does an unlocked glove box qualify as secure vehicle storage?
No. Delaware’s locked-container definition says a glove compartment does not qualify unless it can be manually locked so the firearm is inaccessible to anyone other than the owner or another authorized person.
Does having a Delaware CCDW eliminate the vehicle-storage requirement?
No. The unattended-vehicle storage requirement applies independently of whether the owner holds a Delaware concealed-carry license.
What if a burglar steals my firearm?
The general non-vehicle provision includes the condition that the unauthorized person did not obtain the firearm or projectile weapon as the result of unlawful entry. Vehicle storage is governed by a separate subsection with its own requirements.
Does § 1456 apply to antique firearms?
Section 1456 contains an exception for a firearm manufactured in or before 1899 and for certain replicas that are not designed or redesigned to use rimfire or conventional centerfire fixed ammunition.
Official sources
11 Del. C. § 1456 — Unsafe storage of a firearm or projectile weapon
House Bill 155 / 84 Del. Laws, c. 371 — Vehicle firearm-storage legislation
11 Del. C. § 1442 — Concealed deadly weapon statute, including the § 1456(b) vehicle-storage defense
84 Del. Laws, c. 525 — 2024 amendments extending portions of § 1456 to projectile weapons
Legal information, not legal advice.
DelawareGunLaws.com is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with the State of Delaware or any government agency. Firearm and projectile-weapon storage requirements can depend on the location, whether the item is loaded, who has access, whether a firearm in a vehicle is unattended and other circumstances. Verify current primary sources before relying on this information.
Firearms in Vehicles in Delaware
Learn how Delaware regulates firearms carried, stored and left unattended in motor vehicles.