Going Into 2026 With A Bang!
““I refuse to stand by, idle and helpless. I refuse to become someone’s victim. I refuse to allow harm to come to the ones I love.””
Our mission here at the Women’s Defense Coalition of Delaware is to ensure that every woman has an opportunity to train, become educated, and have the ability to advocate for herself so that she may live with less fear and more freedom.
There are several important pieces of information that we believe you need to know. Let’s jump right in!
NEW GUN LAW IMPLEMENTED IN DELAWARE
What is it and how could it impact you?
As of Sunday, November 16, 2025, you now need to obtain a Permit to Purchase a handgun.
This Jim Crow Era law is nothing more than draconian. The Permit to Purchase process is costly, time consuming, and automatically gives the state the ability to delay firearm purchases for up to 30 days or more.
As written, the Permit to Purchase law would allow the investigator to deny you a Permit to Purchase a handgun based on “circumstances” and not due to any criminally disqualifying factor.
The Delaware State Sportsman’s Association (DSSA) filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Permit to Purchase as soon as the Governor signed it into law almost 2 years ago.
The DSSA filed an additional lawsuit just last week, seeking an immediate restraining order against it in effort to bar it from being implemented until the constitutionality of the law could be decided.US District Judge Maryellen Noreika denied the injunction but an appeal has already been filed.
You can view all lawsuits here.
You can donate to the lawsuit fund here.
The process for obtaining a Permit to Purchase a handgun is detailed on the Delaware State Police website.
You will need to take a class with an instructor who offers a class that satisfies all state required components, get fingerprinted & photographed, and fill out your application either online or print and submit in person to the Permit to Purchase office.
A list of pre approved instructors can be found on the Delaware State Police website linked above. If the instructor you choose is not on the pre approved list, investigators will attempt to verify your chosen instructor’s curriculum when they review your application for a Permit to Purchase.
** Please note that online classes are not approved for Permit to Purchase or CCDW. They must be in-person classes.
Although the class you are required to take for Permit to Purchase is the same as the concealed carry class, there are some key differences.
Permit to Purchase is valid for 2 years - A CCDW permit is valid for 5.
Permit to Purchase applications can be denied based on “any facts or circumstances” about you that are given to the investigator by your local town/county/municipal police department - A CCDW permit is based on whether or not you were found guilty of committing a disqualifying crime in a court of law, not just because of an opinion about you.
The permit to purchase application does not require you to include 5 personal references - A CCDW does.
There is no application fee for Permit to Purchase - There is a $65 application fee for CCDW permits.
Under Permit to Purchase, if you have not lived in Delaware for 5 years, you will have to wait for the investigator to contact the local town/county/municipal police department from your previous state regarding and “facts or circumstances” about you - For CCDW, if you have not lived in Delaware for 5 years, you can submit a copy of your certified record from your previous state’s division of motor vehicles.
You must get fingerprinted and undergo a background check for Permit to Purchase and for a CCDW permit.
A Permit to Purchase allows you to do one thing, purchase a handgun - A CCDW permit exempts you from having to obtain a Permit to Purchase AND allows you to carry concealed in approximately 30 states *if you choose to*
* A CCDW permit also allows you to transport in a vehicle without worrying about proper storage in the states that your Delaware CCDW permit covers.
** Please note: Having a CCDW permit does NOT obligate you to carry.With a Permit to Purchase there is a 30 (or more) day delay in purchasing a handgun - There is not supposed to be a 30+ day delay for purchasing a handgun with a CCDW Permit. Under the law, purchasing a handgun while showing your valid CCDW permit should be instant.
You are exempt from the training portion of Permit to Purchase, but not the Permit to Purchase itself IF you are:
- Qualified law enforcement officer/retired law enforcement officer
- Sheriff or Deputy Sheriff
- Firearms instructor with the NRA
- Licensed firearms dealer
- Delaware corrections officer
- Constables
- License armored car guard or licensed security personnel
- Military member
- Hold a valid Delaware hunter safety certification card
- Competitive shooter holding competitor classification cards issued by the National Rifle Association of America, the International Defensive Pistol Association, the International Practical Shooting Confederation, or the United States Practical Shooting AssociationPermit to Purchase does not require you to run an ad in the legal section of your county newspaper - Applying for a CCDW does.
You are completely exempt from Permit to Purchase altogether if you hold a valid CCDW permit.
While there is much more that we could speak to, including our opinions of the new permit to purchase law in regard to posing a risk to women’s safety, the contradictory written language, and the unconstitutionality of it… there is one more important thing we definitely should mention.
With the implementation of Permit to Purchase, private sales between CCDW permit holders or law enforcement officers is no longer legal. All sales must go through an FFL.
What Have We Accomplished?
WDC has organized multiple discounted and free training opportunities for women with our training partners over at Delaware Tactical.
These included multiple
Room Clearing/Movements and Tactics courses: Learning how to navigate your home in the event of a home invasion, your business, the grocery store, a parking lot/garage, or any structure where knowing how to get to safety/ your loved ones or children without putting yourself in unnecessary danger and while learning to adequately engage an attacker
Handgun Speed Dating events: An educational event that helps women learn how to choose which firearm works best for their circumstances, hand size & strength, vision, abilities and/or limitations they might have. This event is instructor-led and includes a classroom portion, lunch, and live fire on the range with over a dozen different makes, models, and sizes of firearms.
Force on Force Reality Based Classes: These courses add realism by putting you in a scenario-based training that induces the fear and stress of a life-threatening situation using role players and training firearms that fire non-lethal ammunition. Some of these scenarios included; Pushy guy at the bar who won’t take no for an answer, aggressive individual asking for money at the gas station, being grabbed and an attempted kidnapping.
Drawing from concealment: Learning and mastering the proper way to safely, adequately, and effectively draw from concealment is a key element of carrying. So many women have told us that they obtained their CCDW permit but weren’t comfortable carrying. So, we dug into the basics!
SOFTWARE IMPLEMENTATION
In addition to providing some awesome training opportunities, our Secretary has spent the summer and the first half of the school year dedicating all spare time (Spare time, what is that, right?) to make sure our advanced software is up and running for the 2026 legislative session.
We wanted to be fully prepared and have the ability to do what other organizations are already doing for their members.
Our new software will allow us to send out text alerts, one-click action items, newsletters, and upcoming events and training opportunities to our entire contact list.
This will allow you to quickly send a targeted email to your individual State Rep and/or Senator with just a click, register to join us for special events or training opportunities, provide the community more options to get involved, and allow you to be your best advocate without taking up your time.
Our team has gone through special trainings to make sure that we are PCI compliant and are doing what’s necessary to keep your information private, dedicated hundreds of hours to help WDC work harder, faster, and thoroughly for you.
Unfortunately, since the new software is so complex and we are “just” a team of moms working to secure women’s safety here in Delaware, all this work left us strapped for time and unable to dedicate the weeks necessary for planning our annual fundraising Gala.
No matter what, our mission comes first. Fundraising comes last.
We want you to know that WDC is fully dedicated to making sure we run as smoothly and efficiently as possible for all of our members and the 2A community.
Next Steps
WE ARE GOING TO ROCK 2026!!
We are busy planning community outreach events, safety & firearms training opportunities, advocacy events, a women’s retreat, and our annual Gala.
When we started WDC, our goal was to make our organization all about the community. This goal still remains the same.
With bold, creative, smart, dedicated members and volunteers like you… WE CAN & WE WILL accomplish so much.
Women’s Defense Coalition membership is only $25 per year.
Benefits of membership include:
Up-to-date information regarding legislation being proposed, the impact it could have on you and the community, and one click advocacy for where you stand on the proposed legislation that will go directly to your Rep. and Senator.
Discounted and free training opportunities throughout the year.
Meet, get to know, and work with other like-minded women who all share a passion for women’s safety and the 2nd Amendment.
Get to know your rights as a lawful citizen and learn how to advocate for your rights on the legislative level
