Delaware's gun control - No carry at schools, entertainment venues, and polls

[ImminentDanger]

Carney signs bills tightening Delaware's gun control laws
by Christian Wade - August 22, 2023
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/n...ightening-laws

Gun owners in Delaware will be banned from carrying firearms at schools, entertainment venues, and polling stations under a pair of bills signed by Gov. John Carney.

One bill, signed by Carney on Friday, prevents all Delawareans, except law enforcement officers, from carrying concealed firearms within 1,000 feet of school "safe zone" or entertainment property. Students caught with weapons in these areas face up to 90 days of expulsion.

Another measure bars anyone except on-duty police officers, security guards, and active-duty military members from carrying a gun at polling locations during federal, state, and local elections.

Democrats pushed the bills through the Legislature earlier this year along with a raft of other gun control measures, arguing that tougher restrictions were needed amid a nationwide uptick of school shootings and gun violence.

But Second Amendment groups have pushed back against the changes, arguing they are unnecessary and punish law-abiding gun owners while sidestepping the issue of illegal firearms.

During the debate on the bills, Republican lawmakers questioned whether the tougher restrictions would prevent school shootings and argued that they would violate the rights of the state's lawful gun owners.

As with previous proposals tightening Delaware's already strict gun control laws, the newly signed bills are expected to face a legal challenge from Second Amendment groups.

Last year, Gov. John Carney signed a package of gun control measures that included a ban on the sale of so-called assault-style weapons, an increase in the age to purchase firearms from 18 to 21, strengthened background checks, and limits on large-capacity magazines. It also banned the use of devices that convert handguns into fully automatic weapons.

The sportsman association, a state-level affiliate of the National Rifle Association, filed a lawsuit against the stricter restrictions, arguing they violate Second Amendment rights and Delaware's Constitution, which guarantees a right to own and carry firearms.

The plaintiffs argued the new law "criminalized" the purchase and ownership of common firearms used by labeling them as "deadly weapons" and making it a felony "for law-abiding citizens to exercise their fundamental right to keep and bear such arms."

Last month, a coalition of 20 attorneys general weighed in on the case, filing briefs asking the U.S. Court of Appeals to reverse a lower federal court decision upholding Delaware's "assault weapons" ban. The outcome of the case is still pending.

The lawsuit is one of hundreds of legal challenges across the country filed in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in the N.Y. State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen's case, which struck down a New York law requiring applicants to show “proper cause” to get a permit to carry a firearm.

The high court's ruling has prompted reviews of firearm licensing laws in Delaware and other Democrat-led states to tighten their gun laws to further restrict firearm carrying, spurring other legal challenges from Second Amendment groups.

[steve_010]

Except for entertainment venues that are privately owned, all of that is Unconstitutional. Even PA reversed the casino ban and left it up to the owner to ban firearms. Voting is a Constitutionally protected right so you can't ban another Constitutionally protected right while doing it.

[bogey1]

"Assault" weapons and hi-cap mags are already banned there. Chicago in the making.

[father-of-five]

I'm surprised the quiet little blue state still allows reciprocity with nonresident carry licenses.

[STBear]

I'm surprised the quiet little blue state still allows reciprocity with nonresident carry licenses.

Shhhhh.

[2DogsBarking]

I'm surprised the quiet little blue state still allows reciprocity with nonresident carry licenses.

I hope so---will carry on my Utah permit when I go to Rehoboth for a weekend at end of September. Specifically avoided maryland for this purpose.

So what is the definition of an "Entertainment venue" - a movie theater, stadium, plays in a park pavilion, folk singer in a coffee shop, street performers???
Seems very ambiguous.

[Ilikebuckets]

I hope so---will carry on my Utah permit when I go to Rehoboth for a weekend at end of September. Specifically avoided maryland for this purpose.

So what is the definition of an "Entertainment venue" - a movie theater, stadium, plays in a park pavilion, folk singer in a coffee shop, street performers???
Seems very ambiguous.

For me the gotcha is the 1000 feet of a school. I can see an overzealous cop pulling you over for something else, somehow finding out you are CC and nailing you because there is a school across the street from where you were pulled over.

[JaySmith]

It also banned the use of devices that convert handguns into fully automatic weapons.

Because they were legal before?

[John_Wick]

Because they were legal before?

lol. Yeah, i Was just thinking that as I read this. For the last 30 minutes I've actually been reading through news comments on the TN gun control hearing where a slew of people are yelling that "We need to ban fully automatic weapons!" Apparently, between Biden, Cicilline and Dick Wolf the liberal masses are absolutely convinced that every AR, AK, etc. out there is full auto.

[imashooter2]

Good luck knowing when you are within 1,000 feet of a school zone.