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Aug 25, 2023The General Assembly is back in session this week and gun violence prevention advocates are focused on a permit-to-purchase bill awaiting action in the House.
State officials and community leaders signed a proclamation Monday marking the first full week of June as Gun Violence Awareness Week.
State Senator Tizzy Lockman says it reflects Delaware's commitment to reducing gun violence.
"That we see gun violence as a key issue, it impacts so many other things and we are not where we are supposed to be on it," Lockman says. "So whenever we do these proclamations, it's about restating our total commitment to doing everything we can to eradicate gun violence."
Lockman's permit to purchase bill sits in the House Appropriations Committee, and she says she is confident it will pass this session.
But she adds the state needs to focus on the root causes of all types of violence too – tackling policy that targets resources for mental health and education.
For responsible gun owners, she emphasizes the importance of safe storage, especially with summer approaching and kids home more often.
Delaware Coalition Against Gun Violence Executive Director Traci Murphy says gun violence tends to rise in the summertime.
"And it's no accident that gun violence spikes during the summer," Murphy says. "It's hot, people are edgy, they’re bored, kids haven't had a lot of supervision, and that's appropriate. I’m not suggesting that they way to solve gun violence is to just supervise teenagers all the time. I’m suggesting that we just make sure that they can't access firearms, the same way we make sure they can't access other things that are dangerous."
Murphy adds that as the General Assembly returns to session this week she and other advocates have their eyes on bills in a House committee Wednesday seeking to prohibit firearms in schools, recreational zones, and polling places.
Another policy would require safe storage in vehicles – Murphy says an alarming number of guns are stolen from vehicles every year.
And a recently filed Senate bill would allow concealed carry without a permit, which Murphy says she is eager to defeat.