Speak Up: Delaware Democratic leadership reintroduces permit-to-purchase bill

Democratic leaders have once again introduced a bill requiring a permit to purchase handguns in the First State. Senate Bill 2 was introduced April 19 and would allow Delawareans to buy a handgun only if they have completed a firearm training course within the last five years and have obtained a legal permit. Under the new bill, residents would have to submit a permit application to the State Bureau of Identification, who must fingerprint the applicant, confirm their legal eligibility and issue a handgun qualified purchaser permit for the transaction within 30 days.

• This assumes that everyone has a lot of free time on their hands. — Doug Ware
• I’m all for it. Plus, I would like to see follow-up background checks after the initial firearm purchase to maintain that permit. Things change, after all. I do not agree, however, that the training class be free. Are my tax dollars paying for that? If a person can’t afford the class, how can they afford the gun? — Holly Webb
• When will politicians ever understand that this only hinders law-abiding citizens? This does absolutely nothing to stop or prevent a criminal from doing harm. You see, criminals don’t obey laws, and they won’t get a permit to steal a gun. Here’s a problem with this bill: If your life is threatened, and you need to purchase a firearm, then you need to go through a process that could take several months. This could cost you your life. — Citizen Soldier