DELAWARE - The state of Delaware has created a new program for firearms trainers to get certified to teach people who are applying for a handgun qualified purchaser permit.
In 2024, then-Governor John Carney signed the new permit to purchase bill into law. The bill will require people who want to buy a handgun to go through an application process and complete firearms training. Even though the bill was signed in 2024 it doesn't actually go live until Nov. 18, 2025.
With that in mind, the new Permit to Purchase Firearms Instructor Certification Portal has been established by the Delaware State Police through the State Bureau of Identification.
To earn a certification, instructors must review the Permit to Purchase Training Course Guidelines, complete the instructor application through the Firearms Instructor Portal, and submit all required documents. Those include a valid firearms instructor certificate showing the expiration date, an instructor identification card, and a training course syllabus.
Once approved, certified instructors will be added to a public list of approved trainers on the Permit to Purchase website.
According to state police, approved training courses must include instruction on firearm and ammunition knowledge, safe handling and storage — including child safety — shooting fundamentals with at least 100 rounds of live fire, federal and state firearms laws, techniques for avoiding criminal attacks, and suicide prevention.
After completing a certified firearms safety course, applicants for a handgun qualified purchaser permit will receive a signed Firearms Training Course Certification Form from their instructor to include with their application.
Firearms instructors can follow this link to the certification portal, or if instructors have questions, they can contact the State Bureau of Identification by email or by phone at (302) 741-2800.
The Delaware State Police are encouraging qualified firearms instructors to begin the certification process ahead of that Nov. 18 date when the Permit to Purchase law goes into effect.Â