"This forum is not slated toward gun control or gun rights,” said Sen. Stephanie Hansen, D-Middletown, in a statement on Monday. "The goal is to set aside the picket signs and bullhorns, and focus on the facts ... and foster more constructive conversations."
The event will be held at the state's Carvel Office Building on Jan. 9. Topics will include home sale of firearms, background checks, training and licensing requirements, the definition of an "assault weapon" and crime statistics, according to a Monday press release.
There probably won't be much room for picket signs, since you have to be invited to attend. Members of the governor and attorney general's offices have been invited, along with lawmakers and "groups on both sides of this issue," according to the release, which cited limited seating.
The event will also be livestreamed on Sen. Hansen's Facebook page, the release said.
The General Assembly returns to work on Jan. 14 after a six-month hiatus. Since lawmakers went home in July, Hansen said she’s heard rumblings of possible, new gun bills, on top of the revival of old ones.
“It was clear that we were going to be looking at additional gun legislation this coming session," she said, adding that she doesn't know specifics but "there's been a lot of talk."
Public comment will be limited, the release said.
"If the expressed intentions are fulfilled it could be a good learning exercise," said Mitch Denham, president of the grassroots group Delaware Gun Rights, which fought against the gun control bills this year. Members of his organization were invited to the forum.
The local National Rifle Association affiliate, the Delaware State Sportsmen's Association, was also invited. So were the Delaware chapter of Moms Demand Action and the Delaware Coalition Against Gun Violence, both of which support stricter gun laws.
"We appreciate Sen. Hansen’s consistent focus on research and data, and applaud her work bringing subject matter experts together to illustrate the facts surrounding guns in Delaware,” said a spokesperson for the attorney general’s office in a statement.
https://www.delawareonline.com/stor...e-forum-ahead-legislative-session/2585574001/
I expect to see VA SB16 level gun control laws to be proposed this year.