Delaware to issue assault weapon certificates of possession

DELAWARE – The State of Delaware is issuing certificates of possession for assault weapons.

On June 30, 2022, Governor Carney signed the Delaware Lethal Firearms Safety Act of 2022 into law, prohibiting the manufacture, sale, offer to sell, transfer, purchase, receipt, possession, or transport of assault weapons in the state, subject to certain exceptions. Once exception is for individuals who lawfully possessed or had completed a purchase of the weapon before June 30, 2022.

The Act requires that the Department of Safety and Homeland Security issue certificates of possession to those who meet this exception. Individuals who lawfully possess an assault weapon pursuant to this exception of the ban are not required to request a certificate of possession, but the Act provides that the certificates of possession constitute “conclusive evidence” that a person lawfully possessed or had completed a purchase of an assault weapon before June 30, 2022, and is entitled to possess and transport the weapon on or after that date.

DSHS will offer certificates of possession to Delaware residents at time and places below:

• Sussex County: Saturday, June 3rd, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m; Delaware State Police Troop 7, 19444 Mulberry Knoll Road, Lewes
• Kent County: Saturday, June 10th, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; DSP State Bureau of Identification, 600 Bay Road, Suite 1B, Dover

To receive a certificate of possession, residents must present the following documentation:

• A valid Delaware driver’s license, Delaware identification card, or United States passport
• A dated bill of sale, receipt of purchase, or record of transfer from a licensed firearms dealer for weapons that were purchased that reflect a completed sale or possession prior to June 30, 2022
• For inherited weapons, a will or other documentation substantiating that the weapon was received through inheritance
• DSHS will not maintain any record of the issuance of the certificate, as required by the Act
• Residents must bring the weapons for which the certificate of possession is sought, but all weapons must be unloaded and left secured in their vehicles. Residents must enter the buildings unarmed