DOVER, De. - Outside of Legislative Hall, people from across Delaware gathered to send lawmakers a message.
"We've been successful in stopping these bills in the past - and this is what makes us successful. We're the people participating in the system that was designed for people's participation," said Mitch Denham, President of Delaware Gun Rights as people began to gather for the third annual rally for the second amendment. Denham says last year they had to cancel the gathering due to Delaware's COVID restrictions when it came to gathering.
Those gathered say they are prepared to stay all night to encourage lawmakers to halt a number of gun control bills. But some lawmakers say there is a need for action.
"We're hearing from folks all over the state, we're seeing a rise in gun violence incidents all over the state. So right now, we haven't made as much progress as we would have liked as of June 30th," admitted Senator Elizabeth "Tizzy" Lockman (D3 - D). Lockman sponsored SB 3, which is currently still in committee, and would not get a vote before the midnight deadline. SB 3 would require people to obtain a permit before purchasing a firearm.
Another bill, SB 6, would limit the number of rounds a magazine can hold. That bill is still waiting on a vote in the Senate.
House bill 125 looks to outlaw "ghost guns," which are unregistered firearms that can be take apart or put together without a trace. That bill is waiting for Governor Carney's signature.
Denham says that his group and many other gun owners follow the laws, and that measures such as these punish responsible firearm owners. "You can take a look at the statistics, it's 90 percent of the people that commit gun crimes in the state of Delaware are already prohibited. So when you enact a gun law, you're only dealing with people that aren't allowed to have them anyway. That proves they are not going to follow, they're just not," explained Denham. "They are not going to stop criminals from doing crime, what they should be doing is focusing on these neighborhoods that have a high crime rate and how they can get in front of these children, before they become bad actors as adults. How do we get into Wilmington and get the children to see a life of crime isn't a good thing. How do we get these children to see you don't need a gun to protect yourself if we get these criminals off your streets?" As for those bills that won't get a vote tonight, Lockman says members of the General Assembly will likely give them another look come January.
"It's not the end by a longshot. and we know how important this is to so many Delawareans to see us follow through, and that's the intent."
Law makers will finish the evening virtually this year, instead of burning the midnight oil at Legislative Hall as they had done in years past.
