Delaware: Measure to Criminalize Private Sales and Transfers Approved by House Committee

Act NOW to stop attacks on law-abiding gun owners in Dover

We need your help to stop the assault on law-abiding gun owners in Dover!  Your state Representative will soon be voting on House Bill 35, the latest of Governor Jack Markell’s gun control proposals that will criminalize private transfers of firearms between law-abiding citizens.  HB 35 was heard today by the House Judiciary Committee where it received approval and is now eligible for a vote on the House floor.  This bill was originally scheduled to be heard last week, but the overwhelming opposition to HB 35 by Delawareans prompted another hearing to be held today.  It is very important that you keep contacting your state Representative.  Your voice is making the difference, and you must keep fighting ALL attempts to deprive law-abiding gun owners of our rights.

Thank you to all who showed up in Dover today and last Wednesday in opposition to HB 35.  Your presence made the difference - please keep up the pressure!

HB 35 would criminalize virtually all private transfers of firearms by requiring that a criminal history background check be performed in connection with the sale or transfer of all firearms.  Background checks (subject to fees) would be performed by licensed firearms dealers, who would be required to maintain records of such background checks in accordance with state and federal law.  Anyone violating this provision would be guilty of a class A misdemeanor for a first offense and a class G felony for any subsequent offense.

While there might be limited exceptions -- make no mistake -- this measure is the first step toward the criminalization of all private firearm transfers.  This system can only be enforced with gun registration*.  And, as we know from experiences in California, Australia and Great Britain, gun registration enables gun confiscation—only from honest citizens—since criminals don’t register their guns or submit to criminal investigations for firearms acquisition or transfers.

It is critical that you contact your state Representative IMMEDIATELY and urge him or her to OPPOSE HB 35.  Contact information for your state Representative can be found here.

*According to an internal U.S. Department of Justice memorandum, "universal" background checks will not work without requiring gun registration.  Read the memo and get the facts here.