Delaware House passes Assault Weapons Ban

DOVER, Del. –  House bill 450 to ban the sale of assault weapons in the first state has passed the Delaware House and moves to the Delaware Senate.

“The point of the legislation is simple and clear to make sure the next Uvalde the next Buffalo the next sandy hook does not take place in the state of Delaware,” said bill sponsor and Delaware House Majority Leader Valerie Longhurst.

In the hearing that saw the bill pass the house,  Longhurst said the first state had no need for assault-style weapons calling the guns the weapon of choice for would-be mass shooters.

“Assault weapons have been used in seven of the ten deadliest shootings this decade,” she said adding “an assailant with an assault rifle can hurt and kill twice the number of people as someone with a non-assault gun.”

The bill passed despite efforts from Republican house members to amend the bill that included a measure to create a concealed carry exception to the ban.
Anti-Gun Violence advocates told 47abc they’re glad those amendments failed to pass.

“I would not want to see that happen I would not want them to create a path for those with concealed carry permits to carry these weapons that would make me feel unsafe,’ said Moms Demand Action Delaware Chapter Lead Mara Gorman.

Gorman believes this bill combined with the high capacity magazine ban can make public places safer.

“This will keep weapons of war from our streets from our churches malls and schools and grocery stores where they are used daily,” she said.