Require owners of lost/stolen handguns to report it
SB16: This bill would require owners of lost or stolen handguns to report such loss or theft.
Giffords Law Center opinion to vote YES:Laws that require firearm owners to notify law enforcement about the loss or theft of a firearm help
deter gun�trafficking and straw purchasing. They can also help law enforcement disarm individuals who become ineligible to possess firearms.
NRA-ILA opinion to vote NO:SB 16 does nothing to solve an existing crime problem but is an
ideological attack on gun ownership. It imposes policies to criminalize victims of crime and subjects anyone who does not follow these arbitrary laws to heavy fines or felony charges that would take away their right to possess a firearm legally.
Legislative Outcome:Passed Senate 11-10-0 on May/2/13; passed House 22-19-0 on May/14/13; signed by Governor Jack Markell on Jun/12/13.
Add state mental health records to national database
HB48: Delaware is one of only 10 states that have provided no information on mentally ill individuals to the federal database. This bill authorizes state agencies to provide such information to NICS [National Instant Criminal Background Check System].
Analysis by WHYY, 4/13/11: [HB48] would provide mental health records to a national database in an effort to prevent those with severe mental illnesses from purchasing guns. A severely mentally ill's person's health records are not
available to firearms retailers outside [Delaware now].
ACLU opposition 5/30/03: The ACLU believes that this easy, warrantless access to our medical information violates the Fourth Amendment. However, because HIPAA regulations have only
recently gone into effect, their constitutionality remains largely untested.
Legislative Outcome: Passed House 36-0-5 on Jun/2/11; passed Senate 11-8-2 on May/31/11; signed by Gov. Markell on Jul/13/11
More troopers & more enforcement against gun crimes
Parents should not fear their children will be hit by stray bullets. Borrowing an idea from the Delaware State Troopers Association, we will make those who violate our laws fund efforts to reduce the incidence of gun violence. To this end, [my
administration will] focus new resources, including additional state troopers, on reducing gun crimes, beginning in the City of Wilmington.
Source: 2011 Delaware State of the State Address
, Jan 20, 2011