A federal judge hearing a challenge against what are deemed two common-sense gun safety measures in Delaware has ruled against the gun lobby on a critical question in Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association, Inc. et al. v. Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security et al. 

Therefore, Delaware’s bans on assault weapons, large capacity magazines remain in effect.

In an opinion issued earlier this week, Judge Richard G. Andrews of the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware denied a preliminary injunction that the Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association, the NRA’s Delaware affiliate, sought against the State’s “common-sense bans” on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines.

Judge Andrews found that the gun lobby “failed to meet their burden of establishing […] (1) likelihood of success on the merits and (2) irreparable harm,” noting that Delaware gun owners “retain ample effective alternatives” to assault weapons and large capacity magazines for self-defense.

Statement from Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings:

“This week’s heartbreaking massacre in Nashville, including the murder of three children, underscores what’s at stake here,” said Attorney General Jennings. “The list of mass shooters using AR-15s and similar weapons to murder innocents, including children, continues to grow. Gun violence has now surpassed car accidents as the leading cause of death for children in this country. And yet the gun lobby fights harder by the day to protect profits over people. No reasonable mind believes that this is what the Founders intended. I’m grateful to the Court for its ruling and its thoughtful analysis of the facts, and to our litigation team for their tireless, excellent work. We will continue to argue for common sense, and the safety of our kids, for as long as it takes.”