State Rep. Jeff Hilovsky

On Memorial Day, State Rep. Jeff Hilovsky delivered the following remarks at AM Vets Post 2 in Long Neck:

Memorial Day 2026

I believe America is sacred ground. While we are defined by geography, our nation survives by our memory of sacrifice and perseverance.

Memorial Day is not merely another holiday on the American calendar. It is a solemn covenant between the living and the dead. I hope we reserve at least part of this day to bow our heads to recognize the immense cost of freedom and honor those who never came home.

No one woke up on the morning of their last day and chose to die for their country. They chose to serve. They chose to fight. They chose to stand between civilization and chaos; knowing the cost might be everything. And yet, hundreds of thousands of our citizens made that journey and did not return, because they believed with every fiber of their being that the fundamental tenets of this nation were worth defending. Worth fighting for. Worth dying for.

This year we celebrate our 250th Anniversary, so this Memorial Day carries extraordinary meaning. For nearly two and a half centuries, brave American patriots have stood watch over liberty. From the frozen fields of Valley Forge, to the Civil War battlefields scattered across our north and south; to the beaches of Normandy, to the bitter cold of Korea, to the jungles of Vietnam, to the mountains of Afghanistan, and the deserts of the Middle East… generations of Americans answered the call of duty with courage, determination, and selfless devotion to something greater than themselves.

Our military did not fight because war was easy, they fought because freedom was worth defending.

They understood something our modern world too often forgets:
Liberty is never guaranteed.

Freedom is never free.

And civilization itself hangs by the thread of those willing to protect it.
• Every white cross in Arlington…
• Every folded flag handed to a grieving family…
• Every name etched into a memorial stone…
represents a story interrupted.
Dreams unfinished.
Children raised without parents.
Parents who buried sons and daughters.
Spouses left with memories instead of futures.

Yet those heroes gave everything because they believed America was worth preserving.

America is not perfect. But America is precious. A nation unlike any other in human history, founded not upon bloodlines, monarchies, or conquest, but upon eternal truths declared before the world in 1776:
• That all men are created equal.
• That our rights come from God, not government.
• And that liberty belongs to the people.
Those revolutionary ideas changed human history forever.

Today, however, we find ourselves in a time of uncertainty. Many in our country have grown comfortable. Too many have forgotten the sacrifices that built this nation. Too many see America only through the lens of its imperfections rather than through the miracle of its achievements. And too many have lost something more dangerous than political power: their moral compass.

If you have lost yours and, in the noise, and division of our time, many of us have, now is the moment to find it again. I believe the life you live is not simply your own. It is the example of the beliefs, heritage, and customs your children and grandchildren will follow. It is the standard the next generation will inherit. We must not simply think about acting with respect, honor, and dignity. We must become : not as performance, not as slogan, but as a daily way of life, lived in our homes, our workplaces, and our communities. That is how character is built. That is how nations endure.

But Memorial Day reminds us of something eternal: This nation was not built by cynics. It was built by patriots. President Eisenhower stated: “A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.”

Let me remind you our nation was built by farmers who became soldiers; common people doing uncommon things.
America's 250……the question before us is not merely whether America will endure. The question is whether we will prove worthy of the sacrifices already made for us.

So today, I challenge you with homework. Not tomorrow. Not someday. Now. The “Power of One” exists in every person here today.

Own the attitude: If it as to be…let is start with me!
• Will we take action to preserve the principles our heroes died defending?
• Will we teach our children about the love of country?
• Will we take action to restore civic pride, national unity, and moral courage?
• And will we once again become people willing to sacrifice for future generations?

Remembrance without action is merely sentiment.

Growth does not come from comfort. Strength does not come from ease. Character is not formed in moments of convenience. It is forged through adversity and remembering the ultimate adversity of the over 600,000 of our fellow Americans who have defended our privilege taking it to their grave.

As Douglas McArthur reminds us: “Duty, Honor, Country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be.”

America did not survive 250 years because we were docile. America in the future will survive because our collective hearts and minds are inspired by their ultimate sacrifice.

To our fallen heroes:
We remember you.
We honor you.
We thank you.
We will never forget you.

May God bless their memory,
May God bless our military,
And may God forever bless the United States of America.

NEWS: Disputed “Ghost Gun” Proposal Moves Forward, Despite Unanswered Questions

May 22, 2026 -- A bill seeking to circumvent ongoing litigation over a controversial state gun law will advance after clearing a House committee earlier this week, despite unanswered questions over its legality or practicality.

Under a 2021 state law, it is a felony offense to own or manufacture so-called “ghost guns” -- fi****ms and components lacking serial numbers. The law also bars the use of a 3-D printer to make a “firearm, firearm receiver, or major firearm component” or distributing data files that could be used to create such devices.

However, that law has been under a federal injunction since September 2022. U.S. District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika found that the ban likely infringes on citizens’ Second Amendment rights, noting that the right to keep and bear arms includes the right to manufacture them. The court emphasized that the self-manufacture of fi****ms is a deeply rooted tradition in American history and that the state had not provided sufficient evidence to justify the ban.

The 2021 law also lacked a clear path for people owning unserialized guns or parts to move into compliance.

On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee released House Bill 418, which the sponsors say is intended to “clean up” Delaware’s ghost gun law. The proposal would create a protocol for individuals who already possess unnumbered fi****ms to comply by having them serialized through a federally licensed dealer or rendering them inoperable. The measure would continue to prohibit the possession of any firearm lacking a serial number, with violators facing a class D or E felony.

“The bill...is intended to address a specific portion of the injunction that prevented this law from going into effect in Delaware,” said Delaware Deputy Attorney General John Taylor. “I can’t address the specifics of the ongoing litigation except to say the Department of Justice believes it is constitutional.”

Committee member, State Rep. Jeff Hilovsky (R-Long Neck, Oak Orchard) challenged that statement. “How is this possibly constitutional?” he asked. “Physical seizure of personal property without any remedy or compensation. Depriving [a citizen] of personal property without a hearing [violating]…due process.”

In a later exchange with Rep. Hilovsky, the bill’s prime sponsor, State Rep. Kendra Johnson (D-Bear, New Castle) said, “We are trying to do the right thing for people by making a good faith effort to allow folks to legally possess their guns.”

Rep. Hilovsky responded, saying that while the new legislation may be “less unconstitutional" compared to the law it is trying to fix, “it’s still unconstitutional.”

Rep. Johnson disagreed, stating: “Constitutional versus unconstitutional, I think that is a point of reference or a frame of mind. I understand that you believe it to be unconstitutional. I don’t see it that way…We see this in two very different ways.”

Jeff Hauge, president of the Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association, testified before the committee, saying the new proposal misses the mark. He noted that the U.S. Supreme Court decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Club v. Bruen, which was issued the year after Delaware’s original ghost gun law was enacted, fundamentally changed how the constitutionality of fi****ms laws is assessed. He said under that standard, House Bill 418 is just as flawed as the statute it is trying to patch.

National Rifle Association lobbyist Rick Armitage told the lawmakers the proposal has a more pragmatic problem. “FFLs (federal firearm license holders) are not trained gunsmiths. How are they going to assign and put a serial number on a frame…and how are they going to identify that hobbyist as the manufacturer?... How are you going to make this work? I don’t understand, and I don’t think it was explained to the committee.”

The bill was voted out of committee on a party-line vote, with majority Democrats accounting for the measure’s release. The bill is now on the House Ready List and is eligible for consideration on the House floor.

IN PHOTO, FROM LEFT: House Judiciary Committee members, State Reps. Jeff Hilovsky and Charles Postles (R-Milford North) listen to testimony during Wednesday's hearing on House Bill 418.

IN THE COMMUNITY:
MAY 19, 2026 -- REP. JEFF HILOVSKY: "Last Friday, I attended an amazing community event to honor those who served in the military from Georgetown. Approximately 150 people gathered for the Hometown Heroes banner ceremony, held on The Circle. The initiative recognizes the service and sacrifice of the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces – both living and deceased – who are current or former Town of Georgetown residents. Twenty-six new banners were added, reportedly bringing the total displayed on light poles in the town to nearly 90. The Nathaniel Mitchell Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution sponsors the program."