DelCo has become the first Philadelphia collar county to institute such a ban.
Delaware County has banned ghost guns and devices that can convert guns into automatic weapons.
On Wednesday, the county council voted unanimously to ban the unlicensed sale, manufacture, and use of parts for 3D-printed guns without a serial number, also known as ghost guns. The county council is made up entirely of Democrats.
Delaware County becomes first Philly collar county to ban ghost guns https://t.co/BeN8hBkCqj
— The Philadelphia Inquirer (@PhillyInquirer) April 3, 2025
The ordinance would also ban gun devices, including bump stocks and Glock switches, that convert firearms into automatic weapons.
The county council’s vote made Delaware County the first local government in the Philadelphia suburbs to ban ghost guns, as well as in the state. The ordinance takes effect ten days after passage.
Violations of the ordinance would result in a maximum penalty of ten days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Council member Richard Womack said, “If it’s gonna help save one life, I think this ordinance is worthwhile doing.”
Residents expressed mixed reviews at the council meeting during the public comment period. Some sided with gun control advocates and encouraged the council to take action. Others saw the ordinance as an attempt to regulate guns instead of addressing mental health concerns in the community.
Justin Perry of Upper Providence said, “We need to go after criminals, the people who are selling these things illegally.”
Perry felt as though the policy would infringe upon the rights of legal gun owners, while those unauthorized to own firearms cannot legally purchase ghost guns, regardless of the new ordinance.
Andrea Knox of Swarthmore agreed that the ordinance would not address the root cause of gun violence, but she said, “If nothing else, it gives the signal that the indiscriminate use of guns to solve problems is not something that we as a society accept.”
Philadelphia was the first municipality in Pennsylvania to ban ghost guns and machine gun converters.
The city is currently battling separate lawsuits that argue its ordinances violate the state’s preemption law, which prohibits local governments from regulating guns.
