DOVER, Del. (AP) - The Delaware state Senate has refused to reauthorize a gun buyback program set to expire July 1.
Lawmakers last year approved a pilot program that resulted in more than 2,000 weapons being exchanged for prepaid debit cards worth $100 to $200. The buyback event was so popular that officials exhausted the $100,000 allocated by the legislature, and some people were given vouchers to redeem later.
Legislation sponsored by Democratic Sen. Robert Marshall of Wilmington to extend the program was defeated 13-to-8 Wednesday, even though $200,000 had been set aside in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
Opponents questioned the effectiveness of the program in reducing gun crime in cities such as Wilmington, where three people were shot to death this week in a span of less than 24 hours.
