Delaware Governor Matt Meyer Asks Supreme Court to Uphold Gun Safety Laws

National News - Delaware Governor Matt Meyer is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to leave state gun safety laws in place. He has teamed up with governors from other states on a court filing that supports limits on what they referred to as "assault weapons".

The filing is called an amicus brief. It's a document that people or groups who aren't part of a case can send to the court to share their view.

The brief was filed through the Governors Action Alliance's Safer Communities Initiative. It was sent in two cases the Court has combined, Viramontes v. Cook County and Grant v. Higgins. The Court is now weighing challenges to state and local assault weapons restrictions.

The governors want the Court to protect the right of states to pass gun safety laws. They say these laws help keep families and communities safe from deadly mass shootings.

Meyer pointed to his time as a teacher when he explained why he joined. "As a Delaware teacher, I had students and families whose lives were devastated by gun violence," said Governor Matt Meyer. "After a shooting, the death toll tells us how many people were killed, but it doesn't tell us how many lives were changed. No family should have to experience that kind of loss before their government takes action. We must protect every family and every community, and states must retain the authority to enact and enforce commonsense gun safety laws that save lives."

The brief says states have wide power under the Constitution to pass laws that protect public health and safety. According to the governors, that power includes limits on military-style assault weapons.

The governors also warn that striking down these laws would hurt the ability of states to handle the public safety problems their own communities face.

The brief also looks at what mass shootings leave behind. It points to the strain on emergency responders, hospitals and public resources. It also points to the trauma survivors, families and whole communities carry long after the shooting is over.

A little history helps explain the case. Congress passed a nationwide ban on assault weapons in 1994, but that law ran out in 2004. Since then, 12 states and the District of Columbia have passed their own limits.

Meyer has made gun violence prevention a priority for his administration. In May 2025, he created Delaware's Office of Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety. The office was set up to help state agencies work together and keep up the work of preventing violence.

Meyer joined the initiative along with eight other governors. They are Gavin Newsom of California, Jared Polis of Colorado, JB Pritzker of Illinois, Wes Moore of Maryland, Kathy Hochul of New York, Tina Kotek of Oregon, Dan McKee of Rhode Island and Bob Ferguson of Washington.

The Safer Communities Initiative brings governors together to share ideas and line up their policies. The group also works to defend the right of states to protect residents through gun violence prevention measures.