Today Jack Markell joined community leaders and public-safety advocates Monday to release his plan to make Delawareans safer in response to the recent escalation of gun violence.
I have just skimmed it so far, but I really like these practical common sense steps which DON’T INFRINGE ON ANYONE’S 2ND AMMENDMENT RIGHTS.
CLOSE THE ‘GUN SHOW LOOPHOLE’: Delawareans purchasing weapons from a federally licensed gun dealer, such as a store, must undergo background checks. But anyone, including dangerous criminals and the mentally ill, can buy a deadly weapon at a gun show, and no background check is required and no records are kept. It is extremely easy for criminals or juveniles to buy as many guns as they want as these shows, and it is currently almost impossible for police to trace these weapons when they are used in a crime.
LAUNCH A “PARENTAL CONSENT TO SEARCH AND SEIZE PROGRAM”: to help police and parents work together to stop youth firearm possession. Through such an effort, police will seek permission from a homeowner to enter a home in search of illegal firearms belonging to juveniles and, if found, the illegal firearm is confiscated but no gun possession charges are filed. When this was tried in St. Louis, consent was given nearly all the time and half the searches turned up firearms – with 510 weapons seized and taken away from youths during an 18-month period.
LIMIT BULK PURCHASES: Traffickers are legally allowed to purchase as many guns as they want. Those weapons then are resold on the street to criminals. Delaware needs to join other states and outlaw bulk purchases. This law would apply only to handguns, not hunting rifles.
TRACE AND REPORT ANY FIREARM RECOVERED FROM A JUVENILE: To stop youth from carrying and using guns, the police must investigate where juvenile criminals are getting guns illegally and crack down on those sources.
USE STAY-AWAY ORDERS: As a condition of probation, drug dealers and certain violent offenders can be prohibited from returning to the neighborhood where they have committed crimes. The orders can be widely publicized in an effort to try to deter some from violent behavior that may lead to this form of banishment.
(Emphasis added)
We need this kind of “best practices” thinking in Dover.