Surveying the landscape of Delaware’s new gun laws
DELAWARE – Over the course of the past year, Delaware has seen a total of seven gun safety bills pass.
Gun safety advocates point to Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 2, also known as “permit to purchase,” as the heavyweight legislation they were able to get passed. But there have also been a number of other, less publicized bills that found their way into law.
“Being a state that borders so many other states, it does it feels like a really heavy responsibility…New Jersey’s only going to be as safe as we are. Pennsylvania’s going to be as safe as we are. So it’s really important for us to work together,” said Delaware State Representative Cyndie Romer, has made firearm safety one of her legislative priorities.
She emphasized the importance of collaboration in drafting, passing, and enforcing what she calls common-sense gun laws. Among her common-sense gun legislation was House Bill 311, which prohibits knowingly carrying a firearm on a college campus: “This legislation is really important because of the mix of drugs, alcohol, mental health issues–that combination that can occur on a college campus, to introduce firearms is just a recipe for disaster.”
Jeff Hague, President of the Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association (DSSA), thinks legislators should be more worried about enforcing laws that are already on the books rather than penning new ones: “The simple fact is, all these laws that are passed and the only people that obey them are law-abiding citizens.”
Hague views many of the recent gun safety laws as unnecessary, including House Bill 155, which makes the unsafe storage of a firearm in a vehicle a misdemeanor offense. “Responsible gun owners store their firearms safely no matter where they are,” said Hague.
Hague wants to see more emphasis on punishing those who do break the law, with more resources available for police.
Representative Romer said that engaging with organizations like the DSSA is crucial when creating new gun legislation: “Contrary to what some people may think, we also engage with the Sportsmen’s Association and the NRA. We pull in police agencies. We pull in victims of gun violence. We really do have holistic conversations to make sure that we’re really achieving our goal.”
When the permit to purchase act was signed into law by Governor Carney in May, Jeff Hague was among the group that filed suit in federal district court, calling the law unconstitutional. He said they are still waiting on a response from the state.
