Delaware Gun Laws FAQ

Delaware generally requires a Handgun Qualified Purchaser Permit for a Delaware resident purchasing or receiving a handgun unless an exemption applies. The purchaser permit is not a general permit required for every rifle or shotgun purchase.

Handgun Permit to Purchase →

No. A person holding a qualifying valid Delaware concealed deadly weapon license is exempt from the Handgun Qualified Purchaser Permit requirement.

Delaware CCDW Guide →

Most dealer transfers require a firearm transaction background check through Delaware’s Firearm Transaction Approval Program unless a statutory exemption applies.

Delaware Background Checks →

Yes. For an ordinary consumer purchase, the firearm is generally shipped to an appropriate federally licensed firearms dealer, where the buyer completes the legal transfer.

Buying a Firearm Online →

A nonresident may purchase a handgun from a Delaware seller, but the handgun generally must be transferred through an FFL in the buyer’s state of residence. A qualifying complete rifle or shotgun may sometimes be transferred directly by a Delaware FFL when the transaction complies with federal law and the laws of both states.

Nonresident Firearm Laws →

Delaware generally permits lawful open carry by a person who may legally possess the firearm, but location-specific restrictions and other laws still apply.

Delaware Open Carry Guide →

Generally, carrying a concealed deadly weapon requires lawful authority under Delaware law, such as a Delaware CCDW license or qualifying recognized out-of-state authority.

Delaware CCDW License →

Delaware recognizes qualifying licenses or permits from states approved through Delaware’s reciprocity process. Recognition can change, so check the Delaware Attorney General’s current reciprocity information before carrying.

Delaware DOJ Reciprocity Information →

Delaware does not impose a blanket statewide prohibition merely because a location is a restaurant or bar. However, Delaware separately prohibits firearm possession in a public place while under the influence under the circumstances specified by law, and private-property rules can apply.

Restricted Locations Guide →

Delaware has specific restrictions involving schools, colleges and universities, polling places and certain other locations. Courthouse, federal-property, private-property and local-government rules can also apply.

Where You Cannot Carry →

Delaware specifically regulates the Colt AR-15, CAR-15, covered imitations and firearms meeting its statutory copycat-weapon definitions. Whether a particular AR-platform firearm may lawfully be possessed or transferred requires review of the exact model and configuration. A July 17, 2026 Third Circuit decision invalidated New Jersey’s challenged semiautomatic-rifle restrictions, but it did not itself repeal Delaware Code §§ 1465–1467.

Delaware Assault Weapon Laws →

Delaware generally defines a large-capacity magazine as an ammunition-feeding device capable of accepting, or readily convertible to accept, more than 17 rounds, subject to statutory definitions and exceptions. A July 2026 Third Circuit decision invalidated New Jersey’s challenged magazine restrictions, but Delaware §§ 1468–1469 remain published law and should be checked for current Delaware-specific enforcement or litigation status.

Delaware Magazine Laws →

NFA-regulated items require analysis under both federal law and Delaware’s own destructive-weapon restrictions. Federal registration alone should not be treated as proof that an item is lawful under Delaware law.

NFA Firearms in Delaware →

Delaware restricts untraceable firearms and unfinished frames or receivers. HB 418, signed and effective September 3, 2026, created a compliance path for certain firearms lawfully possessed before the earlier prohibition by allowing qualifying owners to have them serialized through an authorized federal licensee or manufacturer, or rendered permanently inoperable, within the statutory compliance period.

Ghost Gun & Unserialized Firearm Laws →

Covered firearm transfers between two unlicensed persons generally must be processed through a licensed firearms dealer for the required background check unless an exemption or exclusion applies.

Private Firearm Transfers →

Delaware’s private-transfer law provides exemptions for specified family relationships. The recipient must still be legally eligible, and special rules involving assault weapons, age or other restrictions can still apply.

Family Firearm Transfers →

Not necessarily. Delaware excludes qualifying estate transfers occurring by operation of law or because of death through an executor, administrator or testamentary trustee from the ordinary private-transfer definition. Special firearms can require additional procedures.

Inherited Firearms in Delaware →

Potentially, but the manner in which the firearm is carried can implicate Delaware concealed-carry law. Separate storage requirements apply when a firearm is left unattended in a vehicle. Section 1442(d) also provides a defense to a concealed-deadly-weapon charge when the defendant complied with the vehicle-storage requirements in § 1456(b).

Firearms in Vehicles →

Possibly, but state firearm restrictions and federal interstate-transport law must be considered. Federal FOPA protection is limited and should not be treated as permission to possess or carry the firearm at a Delaware destination.

Interstate Travel With Firearms →

Do not assume so. Delaware’s assault-weapon and large-capacity-magazine restrictions apply to visitors as well as residents unless an applicable statutory exception exists.

Nonresident Firearm Laws →

Delaware’s general unsafe-storage law is more specific than a universal rule requiring every firearm to remain in a safe. Outside a vehicle, § 1456 addresses loaded firearms or projectile weapons that are left within reach or easy access of an unauthorized person who obtains them, subject to the statute’s other conditions and exceptions. Unattended firearms in vehicles are governed by a separate storage rule.

Delaware Safe Storage Laws →

Yes, in specified circumstances. Delaware’s under-21 restrictions remain enforceable following the Delaware Supreme Court’s September 8, 2026 decision in Department of Safety and Homeland Security v. Birney, but § 1448 contains exceptions. In addition to supervised lawful hunting, instruction, sporting and recreational activities, 2026 legislation allows qualifying 16- and 17-year-olds to target practice without direct 21+ supervision when a parent or guardian permits the possession and the youth has completed an approved hunter education course. Hunting without that direct supervision additionally requires a valid Delaware hunting license.

Minors & Young Adults →

Delaware law identifies multiple prohibited-person categories. Criminal history, qualifying Delaware court orders, certain qualifying out-of-state domestic-violence protection orders, and other statutory circumstances can prevent a person from lawfully purchasing, owning, possessing or controlling firearms or ammunition.

Persons Prohibited Guide →

Yes. A Delaware PFA order can contain firearm-related restrictions and relinquishment requirements, and a qualifying order can affect a respondent’s legal eligibility to possess firearms. Effective September 14, 2026, HB 342 also expanded Delaware’s prohibited-person law to cover certain qualifying domestic-violence protection orders issued by another state or territory.

PFA Orders & Firearms →

An LVPO is a civil court order that can restrict a respondent’s access to firearms when the legal danger standard under Delaware law is established.

Delaware LVPO Guide →