WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor Carney joined members of the General Assembly and advocates on Thursday, August 15, to sign a package of bills that will make Delaware’s neighborhoods and higher education campuses safer.

Legislation signed Thursday includes House Bill 311, House Substitute 1 for House Bill 342, House Substitute 1 for House Bill 270, and House Bill 155.

“We’ve made a lot of progress to keep our communities safer since the start of this administration,” said Governor Carney. “The pieces of legislation we signed today and the other steps we’ve taken would not have been possible without the dedication of advocates who demanded action across our state, and our legislative partners in the General Assembly.”

“Gun violence has caused far too many families to live with an empty seat at their kitchen table. We have to say enough is enough. Delaware residents deserve to feel safe where they live, work, play and learn,” said Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long. “Throughout my legislative career, I’ve voted for common-sense gun safety laws, including one of the first iterations of Delaware’s red flag law. These recent bills are more tools in our toolkit to address gun violence as a public health crisis. This is the right thing to do for our students, families and our state to reduce tragedy and protect public safety.” 

Two pieces of legislation signed Thursday address storage laws; House Bill 270 strengthens the safe storage of ammunition in stores and House Bill 155 strengthens the safe storage of firearms in vehicles. House Bill 342 creates a voluntary do-not-sell registry. HB 311 bans firearms on college campuses.

“Just in the past four-plus years, more than 600 guns have been stolen out of cars across Delaware. That’s hundreds of illegal guns out on our streets, presenting a huge danger to our communities. If we’re going to talk about responsible gun ownership, we should be doing everything reasonable we can prevent these types of situations,” said Representative Krista Griffith. “That’s why the signing of HB 155, along with the other firearm safety bills today, is so important. These are common-sense measures that will keep firearms out of the wrong hands, protect our communities, and ultimately save lives.”

“Over the last few years, the Delaware General Assembly has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to reduce the devastating impacts of gun violence we see in our communities. As the Senate prime sponsor of House Bill 155, House Bill 311, and House Bill 342, I am proud to work alongside my House colleagues to build on our efforts to make Delaware’s neighborhoods safer,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Dave Sokola. “With Governor Carney signing this slate of common-sense gun safety legislation today, we will further raise the level of responsible gun ownership in the First State and give Delawareans a greater sense of security.”

“Once again, Governor Carney has signed legislation that helps build the safer Delaware that we all deserve. With this new legislation, Delaware is sending a message that we put the safety of our neighbors ahead of the profits of the gun industry,” said Traci Manza Murphy, Executive Director, Delaware Coalition Against Gun Violence

“Today is a victory for gun safety in Delaware and an important step towards making our communities and neighbors across the state better protected from gun violence,” said Janet Caruccio, a volunteer with the Delaware chapter of Moms Demand Action. “We’re grateful to Governor Carney and our gun sense lawmakers across both chambers of the legislature who made today’s victory possible and continue to prioritize strengthening our gun safety laws during this year’s session. With these measures enacted today to help keep firearms out of places they don’t belong and out of the hands of those in crisis, our lawmakers are once again giving us the necessary tools to protect each other and keep our communities safe from gun violence.”

During Governor Carney’s administration, Governor Carney worked with Members of the General Assembly and advocates to sign 23 pieces of common sense gun safety legislation that aim to keep communities safe. 

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