Del. lawmakers introduce bill requiring safe storage of guns in vehicles

DOVER, Del. – Delaware lawmakers filed a bill on Friday that would impose criminal charges for gun owners who leave their firearms unattended and unsecured in their vehicles.

According to the Delaware State Police State Bureau of Identification, nearly 600 firearms have been reported stolen from vehicles in Delaware since 2019; in many of these situations, the weapons were left unsecured.

House Bill 155, sponsored by Representative Krista Griffith, would require that firearms that are unattended in vehicles be store in a locked box or container, a firearms rack on the vehicle, or locked in the trunk. A person would not be required to have their firearm locked up if they are in the vehicle with the gun. Under the bill, unsafe storage of a firearm in a vehicle would be a class A misdemeanor.

“Just in the past four-plus years, 600 guns have been stolen out of cars across Delaware. That’s hundreds of illegal guns out on our streets, presenting a huge danger to our communities. If we’re going to talk about responsible gun ownership, we should be doing everything reasonable we can prevent these types of situations,” said Rep. Griffith, D-Fairfax. “Requiring gun owners to secure their firearms in an unattended vehicle is a common-sense step that should prevent hundreds of firearms in Delaware from potentially ending up in the possession of people who legally can’t buy a gun.”

HB 155 has been assigned to the House Judiciary Committee.