Delaware Moms Demand Action, Everytown Applaud State House Passage of Legislation Prohibiting Bump Stocks

DOVER, Del.– The Delaware chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today praised state lawmakers for passing legislation out of the House that would prohibit bump stocks. This bill makes it illegal to own, manufacture or sell bump stocks – firearm conversion devices that effectively allow semi-automatic firearms to mimic firing speeds of machine guns – and any similar rapid-fire devices.

Machine guns have been tightly regulated under federal law since the 1930’s, but bump stocks and other rapid-fire devices are designed to skirt the law and mimic automatic gunfire and can increase the lethality of shootings. Guns equipped with bump stocks were used in the largest and deadliest mass shooting in modern American history last year in Las Vegas, where 58 people were killed and hundreds more injured.

STATEMENT FROM SUZANNE BATEMAN, VOLUNTEER LEADER WITH THE DELAWARE CHAPTER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA:

“We applaud members of the state House for their vote today to protect the public’s safety. We know this is just one of many steps needed to prevent gun violence and look forward to working with lawmakers to pass life-saving Red Flag legislation, that creates a Lethal Violence Protection Order. Right now, we urge the state Senate to act quickly and send this common-sense gun legislation to Governor Carney’s desk.”

Red Flag laws empower family and law enforcement to petition a judge for a Lethal Violence Protection Order which temporarily restricts a person’ access to firearms when they are a danger to themselves or others.

More information about this type of legislation is available here.