Judge bars enforcement of Delaware 'ghost gun' restrictions
Governor of Delaware John C Carney Jr. speaks at the Delaware Memorial Day Ceremony, in New Castle, DE on May 30, 2019. (Photo by Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
DOVER, Del. - A federal judge has barred Delaware from enforcing prohibitions on the manufacture and possession of homemade "ghost guns" that can’t be traced by law enforcement officials because they don’t have serial numbers.
Friday’s ruling comes in a lawsuit filed by gun-rights advocates after Democratic Gov. John Carney signed a law criminalizing the possession, manufacture and distribution of such weapons and unfinished components.
MORE LOCAL HEADLINES
- Police: 2 teens struck by gunfire during apartment shooting in New Castle
- Delaware port operator faces $21M in damages over buyout dispute
- Police: 3 from New York charged in alleged shoplifting incident after fiery crash on Delaware highway
- 2 suspects in custody after teenager shot and killed in Wilmington, police say
The judge denied a motion by Democratic state Attorney General Kathleen Jennings to dismiss the lawsuit.
The judge said that without an injunction, the plaintiffs would face irreparable harm and are threatened by criminal penalties if they engage in conduct protected by the Second Amendment.