Environment
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
StateDelawareEnacted
HB 418: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO FIREARMS.
Kendra Johnson
HB 418 status: Enacted — Signed by Governor (updated Sep 3, 2026).
Source
OpenStates
Confidence
Low
Analysis basis
OpenStates summary
01
What this bill does
Official summary alongside an AI-generated read on where it stands and why.
Overall Score
56OUT OF 100
Score:56/100 civic fit
Risk:Moderate Risk
Impact:Moderate Impact 40/100
Constitutionality70%
Bipartisan50%
Public opinion50%
Bill summary
This Act serves to clean up Delaware’s ghost gun law to address issues raised in ongoing litigation. This Act primarily creates a clear path for individuals who legally possessed unserialized firearms prior to the law’s enactment to come into compliance, either by having them serialized through a federally licensed dealer or rendering them permanently inoperable. This Act also clarifies definitions and aligns the law with federal serialization standards, while preserving the underlying prohibition on untraceable firearms.
02
Impact analysis
✦ AI analysisModeled effects across six domains, estimated from bill text and comparable legislation.
Economy
Positive outlook
60%
Benefits
- Provides business volume for FFLs via serialization
- Reduces legal ambiguity for firearm retailers
- Aligns state law with federal standards
Risks
- Administrative burden on FFLs for serializing
- Potential costs for FFL staffing and compliance
- Risk of liability for improper serialization
Society
Mixed / Neutral
50%
Benefits
- Provides legal path for gun owners to comply
- Clarifies definitions to prevent accidental violations
- Aligns state norms with federal regulations
Risks
- Cost of professional serialization services
- Compliance burden for private owners
- Risk of enforcement actions for non-compliance
Technology Industry
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
Civic Accountability
Positive outlook
60%
Benefits
- Responds to ongoing judicial oversight/litigation
- Improves statutory clarity in firearm law
- Establishes a uniform federal-state standard
Risks
- Implementation relies on FFLs reporting accuracy
- Enforcement triggers may remain complex
- Limited transparency in the private serialization chain
Public Health & Safety
Mixed / Neutral
55%
Benefits
- Increases tracking capability of firearms
- Reduces the number of untraceable firearms in circulation
- Ensures compliance with established safety standards
Risks
- Persistence of illegal non-compliant firearms
- Enforcement difficulty for home-made firearms
- Effectiveness depends on voluntary owner participation
03
How trustworthy & consequential it is
Sourcing already shown above, this is what the analysis found worth flagging.
Source
OpenStates
Official bill text or data from OpenStates.
Confidence
Low
Information is limited or incomplete.
Analysis basis
OpenStates summary
Source used for this bill's analysis.
Source note
Moderate risk exists regarding the impact on individual due process and the potential for regulatory compliance hurdles for owners of legacy firearms.
Analysis scope
Source provided is an OpenStates abstract, not the full legislative text.
04
Where it stands
Official recordSigned by Governor
- IntroducedComplete
- CommitteeComplete
- Chamber votesComplete
- Final agreementComplete
- GovernorComplete
- EnactedComplete
05
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06
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