Governor John Carney on Friday issued a statement calling for the banning of “assault-style rifles.” Here is the full statement:
“Over the past several years, Delaware has made progress in strengthening our gun safety laws, to help give law enforcement the tools they need to more effectively confront gun violence. We’re also continuing to work with school districts to ensure that Delaware schools have up-to-date safety plans, and to provide training so students and educators know how to respond in the face of violence (de.gov/schoolsafety). But more needs to be done.
We are already working with Representative David Bentz to pass the Beau Biden Gun Violence Prevention Act, which will keep weapons out of the hands of those who mental health professionals and judges believe present a danger to themselves or others. I have also urged the General Assembly to pass a bill, introduced by Representative Valerie Longhurst, that would ban bump stock devices.
In the coming weeks, my team will work closely with lawmakers to craft legislation that would prohibit the sale of assault-style rifles in Delaware. As we have seen in Las Vegas, Parkland, and in many other horrific incidents across our country, military-style weapons can be used to carry out catastrophic acts of violence. They have no place on the streets of our neighborhoods.
We need a national approach to this mortal threat to our safety. We stand ready to do our part here in Delaware, and I would urge President Trump and members of Congress to do the same at the national level. It’s past time to take serious action to confront this threat. I look forward to working with lawmakers in both parties here in Delaware to make our state safer.”
I have a post going up later today on the mental illness gun control bill sponsored by Representative David Bentz, compared to another mental illness bill in the General Assembly sponsored by Andria Bennett (D).
Governor Carney is what I would describe as a cautious “conservative” Democrat, with conservative here not being the political definition we are all familiar with but rather the football definition. For example, if John Carney were the coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, he would have kicked the field goal on 4th & Goal at the end of the first half rather than being aggressive and going for the touchdown with the Philly Special play call. So, knowing that, I am genuinely surprised and pleased by this move by the Governor. We need aggressive and progressive Democrats. Thank you Governor Carney!
And then we have Danny Short’s moronic response. tiny.cc/DannyShortStupidResponse
“What the governor apparently means by the provocative term is any semi-automatic rifle resembling a military weapon, like the AR-15 rifle used in the recent Florida tragedy. According to the National Rifle Association, Americans own about five million AR-15s alone. Millions more semi-automatic rifles of other types are also owned by Americans – the vast majority of which will never be employed in any crime. Such rifles are ubiquitous.”
Jesus, seriously? “Ubiquitous??”
Gov. Carney deserves plaudits for his continuing leadership on this effort. I sincerely hope that there will be a part of the forthcoming legislation that limits the number of bullets that can be carried in any type of gun magazine.
Also, it would be extremely helpful if Atty. General Matt Denn, who similarly has exhibited leadership in this policy area, would work publicly with our Congressional delegation to explain to Delawareans the danger to which we all will be subject if the NRA-backed federal legislation on national reciprocity for concealed carry of weapons was to pass the US Senate and how it would obliterate careful controls Delaware presently has in place.
This legislation presently resides in the US Senate Judiciary Committee of which Sen. Chris Coons is a member.
I am thrilled with any and all movement on the gun issue. The Parkland kids deserve all the praise. They are changing a mindset and laws.
Shocked I say! But pleased as well, did not see this coming at all. Going forward even if we can’t get a reinstated ban on assault rifles at least the NRA’s evil agenda has been stopped dead in it’s tracks, no mentions of legalizing silencers and I suspect the concealed carry reciprocity will face a lot more opposition than before. Not to mention the famed plethora of lawsuits from the states that don’t want it.
The attack in Florida was a horrific incident carried out by an individual who had no business having access to weapons of any kind. Unfortunately, Democrats have severe issues with statistics comprehension. The real problems with gun violence in the US are caused by illegally obtained handguns in the hands of inner city gangs (Wilmington sound familiar?). Rifles in the hands of criminals are responsible for less than 500 homicides a year in the US. The disproportionate attention that semi-automatic rifles with large capacity magazines are receiving in the wake of this tragedy is appalling. Ending the “war on drugs”, strengthening mental health laws and reporting, instituting background checks for private sales and raising the age limit for semi-automatic weapons purchase to 21 will all be much more effective safety measures than knee-jerk, feel-good reactions such as this one proposed by Mr. Carney.
My grandson who lives 10 minutes from Parkland stated on their local news tonight, the Sheriffs office stated there were 4 deputies on duty at that school at the time of the slaughter.
It’s “appalling”? That word means something other than what you think it means.
You’re giving him a lot of credit. I think he would have drawn a delay of game penalty while waiting to see that the Patriots wanted him to do. But yay, progress!
LOL. Good one. But yeah, we have to give him credit when he actually does something right.
Gov. of NY announced last night at NY, CT, NJ have joined in a multi state resolution for background checks etc…I am happy Carney did the right thing…now he should join those states so Delaware can have access to that data making sure a person who has issues in those states don’t come to Delaware and get a gun.
While I applaud Gov Carney in growing a spine, banning “assault style” rifles is a farce. You are leaving a large loophole open. The verbiage for the ban should be “all detachable magazine semiautomatic rifles.” It is the rate of fire that make these guns deadly mass shooting instruments. Banning “high capacity” magazines is another farce. Ten 10 round magazines weigh the same as three 30 round magazines and still take less than a second to attach and reload.
Exactly what danger do you face from a CCW holder, even one from another state? These people are not the ones causing high crime rates in areas full of Democratic voters.
I’m not seeing where concealed carry is addressed in this post, so I’m not sure why you’re going there.
Glad to see the folks in Dover wasting valuable legislative time on non-issues. Can anyone tell me when the last time an “assault-style rifle” was used in a Delaware homicide? Anyone???? Anyone???? This rates right up there with important legislative issues such as making sure the state song has gender equality!
Wouldn’t time be better spent fixing the prison system, getting non-violent drug offenders of incarceration, finding ways to deal with the opioid crisis, ending the gang wars in Wilmington and other issues that actually have an impact on Delaware residents?
It rates right up there with banning tongue splitting, something nobody in Delaware had ever done before the General Assembly banned it.
Don’t cry, little baby, mommy will take care of you once that big, bad government takes your gun.