In response to “Democrats are using bully tactics,” we urge both the Democrat and Republican caucuses to look past the politics and name-calling, and instead reflect on the policy in question – a policy that has been proven to reduce both homicide and suicide by firearm in states where it is successfully implemented. Advocates for common-sense gun safety legislation have been advocating for a permit-to-purchase policy since a version of this bill was first filed in 2019, when it was killed in committee by then-Senate leadership, and no one from the Republican caucus complained about transparency and tactical moves then. A quick review of legis.delaware.gov, the website that tracks committee hearings, shows that no Appropriations Committee meetings have been held during this General Assembly. Again, no complaints. The truth is that it is commonplace for the financial committees to sign bills through without public hearings, both under existing leadership and under previous leadership, because the public has been offered the chance to comment during prior committee hearings.
The real issue is the advancement of gun safety legislation that is going to save lives and drastically reduce the number of guns in circulation in Delaware. Once again, opponents to safety legislation are talking about protecting the rights of law-abiding citizens when, in fact, no rights are in question. The real issue is that gun retailers, including those that are elected officials, are going to sell fewer products because more people will be screened out and not permitted to purchase deadly weapons in the first place. The law-abiding “good guys with guns” will be permitted to purchase as they currently are, comforted by the knowledge that Delaware is doing more to protect its citizens from reckless, impulsive gun use than ever before.
Let’s say the quiet part out loud: The gun lobby has been weakening in Delaware for years as more and more Delawareans wake up to the fact that states with the strongest gun safety laws have the lowest rates of both homicide and suicide by firearm. Delaware is in the middle of the pack, but the states that require a permit to purchase guns, and specifically handguns, have lower rates of gun violence.
The public has weighed in, both in committee hearings and at the ballot boxes again and again, electing gun-sense candidates who have pledged to support this bill. The time is now.
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