New limits on guns in Delaware state parks

Visitors to state parks in Delaware will once again be allowed to carry guns- with some exceptions- under interim regulations issued by the state this week.

A man displays his concealed handgun in this 2013 file photo. (AP Photo/Al Behrman, File)

A man displays his concealed handgun in this 2013 file photo. (AP Photo/Al Behrman, File)

Visitors to state parks in Delaware will once again be allowed to carry guns- with some exceptions- under interim regulations issued by the state this week.

The interim rules come just a few weeks after the state Supreme Court ruled that a decades-old ban on guns in Delaware parks violates the state’s constitutional right “to keep and bear arms.”

But armed visitors won’t be allowed in park offices, visitor centers, nature centers and group camping areas — unless they are licensed to carry a concealed deadly weapon. “A risk of harm from gunfire would be presented in these and other areas where large numbers of visitors gather, including families and children,” according to the order issued by Carney administration officials.

In other areas of the parks, anyone not prohibited from carrying a gun is free to carry their weapons.

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The interim rules will remain in effect for 120 days. The state is expected to propose more permanent regulations to address the issue during that time.

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