Senate Majority Whip Elizabeth “Tizzy” Lockman released the following statement on Thursday following final Senate passage of the permit-to-purchase handgun safety legislation she introduced in April 2023:
“This is a monumental moment for public safety in Delaware, and I am grateful to my Senate colleagues for voting today to save lives.
Roughly 600 Delawareans have been killed by gun violence since 2019 when Sen. Laura Sturgeon introduced the first permit-to-purchase bill in the Delaware General Assembly.
While this bill alone may not have prevented every senseless gun death, the training required by Senate Bill 2 will give Delawareans struggling with mental health a second chance to find the help they need. Senate Bill 2 will stem the flow of handguns into our communities. And Senate Bill 2 will disrupt the illegal gun trade at the root of the bloodshed we see here in the First State on a near daily basis.
Almost every gun used in a crime was at one time purchased legally. By raising the level of gun ownership in this state, Senate Bill 2 will save lives.
Thank you to my colleagues in the Delaware General Assembly for your commitment to enact common-sense gun safety legislation and thank you to Governor John Carney for your commitment to sign Senate Bill 2 into law.”
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