Gov. John Carney signed the Beau Biden Gun Violence Prevention Act.
Alongside were Vice President Joe Biden, Dr. Jill Biden, Ashley Biden, Rep. David Bentz, legislators, and gun safety advocates at the Biden Institute at the University of Delaware.
The Beau Biden Act, passed unanimously by the General Assembly, is designed to restrict access to firearms for those who mental health professionals believe present a danger to themselves or others. The Act, which takes effect six months after its signing, mirrors legislation championed by former Attorney General Beau Biden in 2013.
It’s the second of nine gun-related bills before the General Assembly that have been signed by Carney. (See chart below from the Delaware Coalition Against Gun Violence).
“My son Beau always believed that there was room for common sense gun safety legislation. It is something he supported and worked for his whole professional career, including championing a nearly identical bill as Attorney General,” said Biden. “While that bill came up short of passage before we lost Beau, he was always confident that we would move in the right direction. This bill will make the state of Delaware safer while safeguarding every Delawarean’s rights to due process. It is a fitting tribute to Beau’s legacy.”
“The Delaware Coalition Against Gun Violence is grateful to those legislators on both sides of the aisle who were willing to work together to craft this important piece of legislation. This was a bipartisan effort that will protect people in our state who might pose a threat to themselves or others,” said Dennis Greenhouse, chairman of the Delaware Coalition Against Gun Violence. “The fight against gun violence is not a partisan issue, and it does not stop here. As we continue into the final months of this session, we are optimistic that legislators will approach other common-sense gun violence bills before them with a similar commitment to action and willingness to work together to get things done.”
The Biden bill faced scattered opposition from those who were concerned about due process and from people who claimed that current laws were not being enforced. The legislation was amended to reflect due process concerns.
Disparaging comments appeared on Facebook pages of legislators and the governor as the bill move through the General Assembly, but in the end, the opposition had no impact.
