The Delaware chapter of Moms Demand Action, part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots networks, released the following statement after the Delaware House of Representatives passed a package of critical gun safety bills. The package includes legislation to generally raise the minimum age requirement to purchase or possess a firearm from 18 to 21, prohibit machine gun converter devices, and hold the gun industry accountable for their role in the gun violence crisis that continues to impact communities across the state. Three other bills that recently passed through the legislature, to prohibit assault weapons, regulate high capacity magazines, and strengthen background checks, are also part of the package. The legislation now heads to Governor Carney’s desk for his signature, with the exception of the converter device bill which we expect to have amendments approved by the Senate Wednesday.
“Today is a major victory for the gun violence prevention movement,” said Karen Riordan, a volunteer with the Delaware chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Gun safety advocates and gun violence survivors across the state have worked tirelessly to urge lawmakers to take meaningful steps towards ending Delaware’s gun violence crisis, and today, lawmakers heeded those calls. We applaud the legislature for taking this critical step towards keeping our families and communities safe and look forward to Governor Carney signing these bills into law.”
The advancement of this bill package occurs amid a massive groundswell of support for gun safety from advocates and survivors across the country following the tragedies in Buffalo, Uvalde, and across the country. The vote in the House comes on the heels of President Biden signing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act this past Saturday, a historic gun safety, mental health, and school safety bill – the first major federal gun safety law to pass Congress in nearly 26 years.
In an average year in Delaware, 111 people die by guns and 279 people are wounded. Gun violence costs Delaware $713.7 million each year, of which $36.3 million is paid by taxpayers. More information about gun violence in Delaware is available