Delaware Business Roundtable Statement on Gun Safety

Recent events illustrate clearly that no segment of our society is immune from gun violence: mass shootings occur at schools, grocery stores, hospitals, street corners, office buildings, concerts, movie theatres and houses of worship. Acts of violence occur in Delaware on nearly a daily basis. As an organization focused on creating jobs and attracting talent to Delaware, we view it as critically important for all stakeholders to work together to improve public safety.

We believe we have reached a tipping point, a time when policymakers must enact bipartisan, commonsense legislation to strengthen public safety. It is imperative that we ensure responsible gun ownership and that legislation be carefully crafted to strictly focus on keeping dangerous weapons from those who are least capable of safely and properly storing and using a firearm.

Accordingly, the Delaware Business Roundtable supports the efforts of Governor Carney and the Delaware General Assembly to enact the package of gun safety legislation announced late last week. We hope this marks the first step of a continuing effort to address gun violence protection, such as making sure that increased scrutiny, training and record keeping for gun purchases are in place through a permitting system that has saved lives in other states.

While enacting gun safety legislation is one way to improve public safety, we recognize there are a number of other contributing factors that must be addressed, such as poverty, education, the availability of mental health services, school building safety and others. We look forward to participating in an ongoing dialogue on these issues as a means for improving public safety for all Delawareans.

Contact: Bob Perkins 302-545-1795