Bridgeville Rifle & Pistol Club, Ltd. v. Small
Supreme Court of Delaware
👍Favorable to gun rights
Set aside the state park and forest firearm bans under the Delaware constitutional right to bear arms.
GunMapUSA assessment of the outcome's direction, not a statement that the court decided rightly or wrongly.
What the court held
Shooting clubs and gun owners challenged longstanding Delaware regulations barring firearm possession in state parks and state forests, subject to exceptions for lawful hunting and discretionary written approval. The Delaware Supreme Court held the regulations invalid under Article I, Section 20 of the state constitution, treating them as effectively a total ban within those lands rather than a permissible sensitive-places or proprietary regulation. Chief Justice Strine and Justice Seitz dissented at length, arguing the text and history of Section 20 preserved the state's authority to regulate firearms on its own property.
Summarized from the court's opinion.
What this case is about
Delaware regulations prohibiting firearm possession in state parks and forests
GunMapUSA summary of the issue, not a quotation from the court.
Sources
- CourtListener — retrieved 2026-08-08
Summary of public court records. Not legal advice.