Delaware gun laws: what a new resident needs to know

Delaware has no gun registration, no licence to own and no permit to possess. What it does have are four rules that catch newcomers: a purchase permit for handguns, a 17-round magazine limit, a restricted list of semi-automatic long guns, and a concealed carry licence that only a court can issue. If you have just moved here with guns already in the truck, this is the short version.

Can you bring your guns to Delaware?

Generally yes. There is nothing to register when you arrive and no list to join. Two things do not travel well, though, and both are worth checking before you unpack.

Magazines over 17 rounds. Delaware limits magazines to 17 rounds. Holders of a Delaware concealed carry licence are exempt, as are serving and qualified retired law enforcement. An attached tubular .22 rimfire magazine is outside the limit entirely.

Restricted semi-automatic rifles and shotguns. Delaware restricts a long list of named models and their copies. The list names specific guns rather than describing them generically, so two rifles that look alike can fall on different sides of it. If you own something on the semi-automatic side, check it against the current list rather than guessing.

Do you need a permit to buy a gun in Delaware?

For a handgun, yes: a handgun qualified purchaser permit from the State Bureau of Identification, unless you hold a Delaware carry licence. It takes a certified course with 100 rounds of live fire, fingerprints, and an application answered within 30 days. The permit runs two years.

For a rifle or shotgun, no permit is needed, only the background check at the dealer. Handguns are 21 and over; shotguns, shotgun ammunition and muzzle-loading rifles stay open to 18 to 20 year olds. Private sales run through a licensed dealer in both directions. The full walk-through is on our Delaware gun buying guide.

How do you carry a gun in a car in Delaware?

Carrying concealed without a Delaware licence is a serious offence here, and a handgun tucked under a seat or in a centre console is what that rule is about. Do not bring a Pennsylvania or Maryland habit across the line with you.

Without a Delaware carry licence, the safe practice is: long guns unloaded, handguns unloaded and in a closed case, stowed where they are not reachable from the driver's seat, ammunition kept separate. The trunk, not the glove box. Loaded rifles and shotguns in a vehicle are prohibited outright.

Open carry of a handgun is lawful in Delaware without a licence, but it is not a workaround for the concealed rule in a car. If you drive daily with a pistol, the Superior Court carry licence is the answer, and there is no faster one. Vehicle and public-land rules do get revised, so check the current State Police and DNREC guidance before you rely on any of this.

How should you store firearms?

Delaware makes it an offence to leave a loaded firearm where a child is likely to reach it. Beyond that the advice is ordinary: a safe or a lock box, sited where a visitor or a burglar will not find it, with ammunition stored separately from anything left loaded. Nobody inspects your storage, but it gets examined closely after something goes wrong.

Where is carry barred in Delaware?

Schools, school grounds and school buses. The buildings and grounds of designated recreation areas, including public recreation centres, athletic fields and stadiums. Federal buildings, courthouses and secure airport areas, under other law. And any private property whose owner says no, posted or otherwise.

State parks, forests and wildlife areas are their own case and the rules there have been rewritten more than once. Lawful possession is generally permitted across that land now, with specific places such as swimming areas, group camping grounds and the zoo still restricted. Read the current DNREC firearms regulations before carrying into one.

What should a new resident do first?

In this order. Get a Delaware driver's licence or state identification card with your real address, because every firearm transaction in this state turns on it. Decide whether you want the carry licence, and if so start it now, because the newspaper notice and the court calendar make it a four to six month project. If you only want to buy a pistol, apply for the purchase permit instead, which is far quicker. Check your magazines against the 17-round line and anything semi-automatic against the restricted list. Then find your town on the Delaware town index and pick the dealer you will be using from now on.

Common questions

Is Delaware a constitutional carry state? No. Concealed carry needs a Superior Court licence. Open carry needs no licence.

Do I have to register my guns in Delaware? No. Delaware has no firearm registry.

What is the magazine limit in Delaware? Seventeen rounds, with an exemption for carry licence holders.

Is there a waiting period to buy a gun in Delaware? Not at the counter. The wait is in the handgun purchase permit beforehand.

Can I buy a handgun at 18 in Delaware? No. Handguns are 21 and over. Shotguns and muzzle-loading rifles are open at 18.

Where can I shoot near Wilmington? The public range at Ommelanden, covered on our Delaware ranges page, or see the town pages for Newark and New Castle.

General information, not legal advice. Current as of September 2026. Laws change; check the official source before you act.