DOVER, Del. – The Delaware chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today applauded Delaware Gov. John Carney, Majority Leader Val Longhurst and Delaware lawmakers for ensuring HB 300 became law. This bill makes it illegal to own, manufacture or sell bump stocks or trigger cranks – conversion devices that effectively allow semi-automatic firearms to mimic firing speeds of machine guns. Recent polling conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of Everytown found that 78 percent of Delawareans support prohibiting the sale and possession of bump stocks, a gun accessory that allows a semi-automatic rifle to mimic the firing speed of a fully automatic firearm.
Machine guns have been tightly regulated under federal law since the 1930s, but bump stocks and other rapid-fire devices are designed to skirt the law and mimic automatic gunfire and can increase the lethality of shootings. Guns equipped with bump stocks were used in the largest and deadliest mass shooting in modern American history last year in Las Vegas, where 58 people were killed and hundreds more injured.
STATEMENT FROM SARAH STOWENS, VOLUNTEER LEADER WITH THE DELAWARE CHAPTER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA:
“We are thrilled Gov. Carney signed this important public safety legislation into law that makes these dangerous devices illegal. Delaware is continuing to lead the way on common sense gun policies.”