FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, September 3, 2026
Media Contact:
Jamie Mangrum
Jamie.Mangrum@delaware.gov
NEWARK, Del. – Governor Matt Meyer today signed a comprehensive gun safety bill package. He was joined at the signing by Lieutenant Governor Kyle Evans Gay, Secretary of the Department Safety and Homeland Security Josh Bushweller, Attorney General Kathy Jennings, Senate President Pro Tempore Dave Sokola, Representative Mara Gorman, Representative Kendra Johnson, Everytown Senior Firearms Advisor Marianna Mitchem, and President of Brady Kris Brown.
The package tightens oversight of the firearms industry and strengthens the state’s ability to enforce it. SB 300 requires anyone who sells or transfers firearms in Delaware to obtain a new state dealer license administered by the Delaware State Police (DSP), complete mandatory training every two years, install video surveillance capable of identifying buyers and sellers, and maintain detailed sales and transfer records. DSP will have inspection authority over licensed dealers, with civil penalties, including license revocation, for violations.
The legislation also closes a gap in how the state handles untraceable weapons. Under HB 418, people who already legally possess an unserialized firearm, frame, or receiver have six months to bring it into compliance, either by having it serialized through a federally licensed dealer or manufacturer, or by rendering it permanently inoperable.
HB 369 makes permanent the Office of Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety within the Department of Safety and Homeland Security, an office the Governor established when he signed Executive Order 9 on May 1, 2025, during his first months in office.
“This is about protecting our families and our communities. While Washington rolls back gun safety protections, Delaware is moving forward,” said Governor Matt Meyer. “This legislation isn’t the finish line; it’s the start of the real work. None of it succeeds without implementation and shared responsibility, and that means dealers, advocates, and law enforcement all pulling in the same direction. We will keep working with all of them to keep our neighborhoods, schools, and places of worship safe.”
Secretary Bushweller, whose department will house the new office, credited the legislation to the state’s public safety partners working in step with one another. “Each of these bills represents a meaningful step forward in strengthening public safety, addressing gun violence, and building safer stop the flow of crime guns at the source, Gov. Meyer is prioritizing the people of Delaware over gun industry profits. This hard-won legislation is a major step forward in creating a safer Delaware free of gun violence.”
“I spent over 20 years as an ATF Industry Operations Investigator and have seen firsthand how the federal system is stretched to a breaking point. In Delaware, where 130 dealers operate, a federal inspection might only occur once a decade. We cannot wait ten years to ensure a gun dealer is following the law,” said Marianna Mitchem, Senior Industry Advisor for Everytown for Gun Safety. “States must step up and today, Delaware did just that by establishing basic but thorough safety and training requirements to stop guns from falling into the wrong hands before they ever leave the shop. This bill ensures that Delaware’s licensed dealers are not just sellers, but the first line of defense—a move that will keep Delaware communities safer.”
The Office of Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety will continue working with law enforcement, firearms dealers, and community advocates across the state and nationally to implement the new requirements in the months ahead. For more information, contact the Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security and the Office of the Attorney General.
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