DOVER, Del. - Delaware lawmakers are advancing legislation that would expand Sunday hunting and update gun regulations for hunters across the state.
House Bill 278 would allow hunting of game animals and birds on Sundays during established seasons, giving both private landowners and public agencies discretion over when and where hunting is permitted.
Under current law, Sunday hunting is largely restricted, but the bill removes those broad limitations and replaces them with a framework allowing hunting in more situations, including on designated public lands and private property with permission.
The legislation also makes several changes to hunting rules in Delaware. It updates allowable gun and ammunition standards for deer hunting, including adjustments to handgun and rifle specifications and expanding where certain guns may be used, particularly on private land south of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal.
In addition, the bill revises the list of game animals by adding species such as skunks and weasels while removing others, and clarifies rules around hunting methods and equipment.
The bill has been voted out of committee with 6 favorable and 5 on its merits. The legislation now waits on the Ready List.