Carney signs bills into Delaware law barring abusers from possessing guns, banning 'ghost guns' - WDEL 1150AM

On Wednesday, Delaware lawmakers made it more difficult--and inhospitable--for those charged in domestic violence cases or those looking to 3D print firearms at home from possessing or purchasing guns.

Governor John Carney signed into law HB124 and HB125 on October 20, 2021, surrounded by supporters in the mezzanine of the Carvel State Office Building. House Bill 124, sponsored by Democratic state Representative Krista Griffith, a former Deputy Attorney General, prohibits an individual knowingly subject to a Protection from Abuse Order from "purchasing, owning, possessing, or controlling" a deadly weapon or ammunition for a firearm.

"It's so fitting today, Governor Carney, that you're signing House Bill 124 in the middle of Domestic Violence Awareness Month," Griffith said. "Thus far, in 2021, there have been 20 domestic violence-related fatalities. That's more than double the number of fatalities that happened in 2020. So this year is very, very sad year for victims of domestic violence and their families."

Griffith said in 2021, 15 of those 20 homicides have involved firearms, which lines up with what they've seen statistically over the previous five years, where 70% of domestic violence-related fatalities have involved firearms.

"What we hope the signing of House Bill 124 will do is reduce those numbers of fatalities, reduce the generations-long devastation that occurs to families when someone is killed by a firearm as a result of domestic violence," she said.

Griffith said advocates--including members of Moms Demand Action, roughly a dozen of whom attended the signing--and law enforcement worked with legislators to craft the bill after identifying that Delaware law did not prohibit those subject to an ex parte domestic violence order from gaining access to a firearm without facing charges.

"It was a loophole in our law that these advocates saw and asked me to address," Griffith said. "[The law] is designed...to really reduce the number of fatalities that we were seeing as a result of domestic violence, and support those families who are unfortunately having to bury their loved ones."

The subsequent bill signed into law, House Bill 125, addresses an increasing need to codify the illegality of untraceable firearms, especially those that are created by through the use of #D printers. It "establishes the crimes of possession of an unfinished firearm frame or receiver with no serial number, possession of and manufacturing a covert or undetectable firearm, possession of and manufacturing an untraceable firearm, and manufacturing or distributing a firearm using a three-dimensional printer."

"We have Do It Yourself kits all over this country...car models, airplane models, Legos, all that kind of stuff. A Do It Yourself kit for a gun does not make sense to me. It doesn't make sense," said HB125's primary sponsor, Democratic state Rep. Valerie Longhurst. "We want to make sure that we have background checks, they're serialized, and they're traceable. And those are three key indicators for law enforcement to find out who those criminals are. Not having them does not make sense. When you talk about common sense gun legislation, this is probably the most no-brainer common sense gun legislation that we can sign."

Democratic state Sen. Nicole Poore, HB125's senate sponsor, echoed Longhurst's common sense sentiments.

"These guns are untraceable. These firearms can be made at home using kits sold by unlicensed dealers, and purchased without a background check. Ghost guns which can be easily obtained online and built at home are terrifying ways to bypass law enforcement, especially for people who are prohibited from possessing a firearm," she said. "We're taking an important step towards protecting Delawareans from gun violence by keeping unlicensed firearms out of the hands of criminals."

To provide a show of support for both pieces of legislation, several Delaware law enforcement officers attended the signings, including Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security Secretary Nathaniel McQueen.

"Today's a good day, as we continue to see an increase in gun violence across our state," McQueen said. "As these weapons continue to be an emerging threat to public safety and law enforcement, getting illegal guns off the street, and keeping guns away from those who should not possess them, is critical to public safety. This legislation creates one more tool to assist law enforcement in that effort, as we all move to our shared goals of safety and security in Delaware communities."

For his part, Carney thanked Moms Demand Action for their aid in pushing for this legislation, citing them as a force.

"Two gun bills that are the result of a lot of outreach and work by the moms standing with the red shirts behind me," Carney said. "Put your hands together for the moms. Nobody gets in the way of the moms, that's for sure."

source: https://www.wdel.com/news/carney-signs-bills-into-delaware-law-barring-abusers-from-possessing-guns-banning-ghost-guns/article_571265a0-31c6-11ec-97b1-fb14413e83e0.html

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