Delaware lawmakers on Thursday announced plans to pass major gun reform in the final weeks of the legislative session, including banning the sale of assault weapons, limiting high-capacity magazines and increasing the purchasing age for most firearms.
It comes after a number of mass shootings in America, most notably in Uvalde, Texas, in which a gunman shot and killed 19 elementary school children and two teachers.
Thursday’s announcement showed movement among Delaware Democrats, who in recent years found themselves at a standoff on several gun reform issues.
The package of bills, which has the support of Gov. John Carney, also includes:
- Strengthening background checks by reinstituting the Firearm Transaction Approval Program
- Holding gun manufacturers and dealers liable for reckless or negligent actions that lead to gun violence
- Banning the use of devices that convert handguns into fully automatic weapons
The bill to limit high-capacity magazines shows a significant shift among House lawmakers, who had previously received criticism on this issue. Last year, the Senate passed a bill that would have defined and banned “large-capacity magazines” with a capacity to hold more than 17 rounds of ammunition.
House lawmakers added an amendment that would allow for the ownership of large-capacity magazines but include a stricter punishment if used in a crime. It also changed the definition of what the bill defined as a “large-capacity magazine.”
Senate President Pro Tempore David Sokola told Delaware Online/The News Journal earlier this week that the Senate will vote to strip the amendments added in the House and send the bill back closer to its original form.
This is slated to happen when the General Assembly returns from its recess on June 7.
It’s unclear what the status is of Senate Bill 3, a bill that would require residents interested in buying a handgun to first acquire a permit and take safety courses. This passed in the Senate last spring and has been sitting in a House committee for more than a year.
A spokesman for House leadership did not immediately respond to comment on if that bill will be voted on this month.
For years, Senate Democrats have attempted, and failed, to ban the sale of assault weapons. In the version of this House bill, it would be illegal to make, sell, purchase or possess assault-style weapons, including AK-47s and AR-15s. These weapons specifically have been used in mass shootings.
The bill would also “grandfather existing weapons and protect their owners from being misidentified as lawbreakers while placing restrictions on the transportation and use of those weapons,” according to Thursday’s announcement.
It also grants certain exceptions for law enforcement and military members. A person who owns an assault weapon before the passage of this bill could also legally transfer it to an immediate family member.
The state’s Department of Safety and Homeland Security would be required, under this bill, to develop a certificate showing lawful possession of an assault weapon, for those who qualify.
Delaware’s purchasing age for a firearm currently mirrors federal law, in which a buyer needs to be at least 21 for all handgun purchases and 18 for long guns. The bill to increase the purchasing age to 21 would apply to those looking to buy a semi-automatic firearms or ammunition for a firearm.
It would also allow for “limited exceptions” for shotguns and muzzle-loading rifles.
House lawmakers said the bills to ban the sale of assault weapons and raise the purchasing age will be heard in the chamber’s Administration Committee next Wednesday and will be voted on Thursday. The Senate has committed to passing these bills quickly.
Lawmakers plan to pass the rest of the bills by the end of June.
Contact Meredith Newman at (302) 256-2466 or at mnewman@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @MereNewman.
