There are two gun bills proposed in the Delaware General Assembly, House Bill 369 and Senate Bill 300, that are aimed at putting more restrictions on gun retailers and law-abiding gun owners.
Gun dealers in Delaware need to obtain a federal firearms license and a deadly-weapons dealer license from the Delaware Division of Professional Regulation. To purchase a handgun from a gun retailer (aka a deadly-weapons dealer) in Delaware, as of late 2025, you must obtain a handgun-qualified purchaser permit, complete a Delaware certified training course, pass a federal background check and get fingerprinted.
It would seem that all these requirements for a weapons purchaser in this state would be enough information to warrant a clean bill of sale from the weapons dealer, especially after federal background checks are completed by state and local law enforcement agencies, but they still have the right to say whether or not a person is qualified to purchase a weapon. That personal information given to a weapons dealer should protect any dealer from any liability after the sale.
State officials and other anti-gun advocates push for all these gun laws to curb gun violence, when a majority of the guns used in gun-related crimes involve weapons owned by underage or prohibited individuals who circumvent the legal system to obtain them. They either possess ghost guns or stolen black market weapons, which are easy to obtain on the street with the right amount of money. I would like to know the number of criminals in the state of Delaware who have committed a gun-related crime after going to a certified gun training seminar or obtaining a handgun-qualified purchaser permit, as required by law since Nov. 16, 2025.
These two bills are just more red tape placed on gun retailers that could tie their business to a gun-related crime committed months after the date of the sale and could fine the gun retailer for the sale. All Delaware hunters, sporting clay/skeet/trap shooters, competition handgun shooters and gun owners need to contact their state representatives and senators to tell them enough is enough with the gun laws.
Kevin Register
Camden
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
