DOVER, De – A bill that outlaws large-capacity gun magazines and another bill putting more requirements for gun ownership passed the Delaware State Senate on Thursday.
Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 3 would add Delaware to a growing list of states that require their residents to complete firearm training and obtain a permit before purchasing a handgun – a measure proven to reduce both homicide and suicide in other states. Senate Bill 6 would outlaw the sale of large-capacity magazines capable of holding more than 17 rounds.
SS1 for SB 3 would require most prospective handgun purchasers to complete an approved firearm training course within five years of applying for a permit to purchase a handgun. Those permitted to carry a concealed deadly weapon by the State of Delaware would be exempted from that requirement because they are already required to complete a firearm training course.
After completing a training course, Delaware residents legally eligible to purchase a handgun would then be required to submit an application to the state Department of Safety and Homeland Security (DSHS). The department would have 30 days to fingerprint applicants, confirm they are legally permitted to own a handgun, and issue a qualified purchaser card required at the point of sale.
The legislation includes no application fees and places no restrictions on the number of handguns that could be purchased during the 180 days that a qualified purchaser card is valid.
DSHS would be required to notify applicants in writing of a denial. Anyone denied a qualified purchaser card would have 30 days to request a hearing before the Justice of the Peace Court, which would be required to schedule a hearing within 15 days of receiving the request.
The substituted version of Senate Bill 3 passed on Thursday also includes requirements that all DSHS purge data related to handgun sales after two years and extends the previously proposed implementation date by an additional year.
Senate Bill 6, which also passed the Senate on Thursday, would outlaw the sale of large-capacity magazines capable of holding more than 17 rounds. The bill also would create a buyback program and give Delaware gun owners until June 30, 2022 to sell their large-capacity magazines to the state.
Both measures now head to the Delaware House of Representatives for final consideration.