Safe Storage Bill Signed into Law in Delaware

DOVER, Del.- Gov. John Carney has signed a new law requiring Delaware gun owners to safely store firearms so they aren't obtained by people who shouldn't have them. House Bill 63 expands an existing provision regarding unlawfully permitting a child access to a firearm to a broader prohibition against "unsafe storage of a firearm." The new law makes it a misdemeanor to intentionally or recklessly leave a loaded firearm within the reach or easy access of a child or person prohibited from possessing a gun, resulting in the person obtaining the firearm. A gun owner could face a higher-level misdemeanor if the unauthorized person used the firearm to commit a crime, gave it to another unauthorized person, or used it to seriously injure or kill someone.