Question 1

Are ghost guns and 80% lowers legal in Delaware?

Accepted Answer

Restricted. Possession of an unserialized unfinished frame or receiver is prohibited; lawful transfer requires a licensed dealer or manufacturer, serialization, and federal records. Effective 2022-06-30. Controlling law: 11 Del. C. § 1459A.

Question 2

What law covers unfinished frames and unserialized firearms in Delaware?

Accepted Answer

The controlling law is 11 Del. C. § 1459A. Possession of an unserialized unfinished frame or receiver is prohibited; lawful transfer requires a licensed dealer or manufacturer, serialization, and federal records.

Question 3

When did Delaware's unfinished frame or unserialized firearm restriction take effect?

Accepted Answer

Delaware's rule took effect 2022-06-30. The statute reaches the unfinished component itself and makes knowing possession without the manufacturer's name and an individual serial number a class D felony. A serialized unfinished receiver can move through the licensed channel, so the state is restricted rather than a categorical ban on all unfinished receivers.

Question 4

Are 80% lowers and self-built firearms legal under federal law?

Accepted Answer

Federal law does not prohibit making a firearm for personal use, but prohibited-person, detectable-firearm, and unlicensed manufacturing-for-sale rules still apply. On August 17, 2026, Defense Distributed v. Blanche held 27 C.F.R. §§ 478.11 and 478.12(c) unconstitutional, but the judgment did not vacate those regulations and its declaratory and injunctive relief is party-scoped. Buyers outside the protected parties remain subject to the 2022 federal frame-or-receiver rule while litigation continues; state serialization, transfer, possession, and manufacturing laws apply independently.

Federal baseline verified 2026-08-18. Scope: Unfinished firearm frames and receivers, including products marketed as 80% lowers or pistol-frame blanks, plus firearms privately made without a serial number. Serialized stripped receivers transferred as firearms are outside this class's unfinished/unserialized restrictions.

Are Ghost Guns and 80% Lowers Legal in Delaware?

Litigation Status and Details

Federal baseline

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