Rep. Krista Griffith, D-Fairfax.

legis.delaware.gov

Rep. Jeff Spiegelman, R-Clayton.

legis.delaware.gov

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By Joseph Edelen

DOVER — Delaware’s definition of a firearm was once again a topic of debate in the House of Representatives Tuesday.

Rep. Krista Griffith, D-Fairfax, introduced House Bill 155 in May 2023, which was amended Thursday for the fourth time in the House, in addition to one Senate amendment.

“What the bill does is it requires individuals to leave a firearm in a vehicle to make sure that it is secure,” Rep. Griffith said on the House floor Tuesday. “It did exclude those with a concealed carry permit. When it went over to the Senate, the Senate removed that exception in an amendment and sent it back to the House. That is the bill that is now before us.”

According to the Delaware State Police Bureau of identification, 671 firearms have been reported stolen from vehicles in Delaware over the last five years. Rep. Griffith noted that, in many of these cases, weapons were left unsecured.

The bill would require firearms that are unattended in a vehicle to be stored in a lock box or container, a firearms rack or in the trunk. It would also create the penalty of a class A misdemeanor if a person knowingly leaves a firearm unattended as such.

For the second time in as many weeks, Rep. Jeff Spiegelman, R-Clayton, reiterated that the legislation extends too far because of Delaware law’s vague definition of a firearm – which can include paintball and airsoft guns, or even slingshots or nail guns.

The Clayton Republican – while acknowledging the good spirit of both bills - used this point to argue against Rep. Cyndie Romer’s, D-Newark, House Bill 311 on Thursday, which would ban students from bringing a firearm onto a college campus.

“Normally, I would figure when I lock my car that, that is a secured thing, and my belongings are secure,” Rep. Spiegelman said on the House floor Tuesday, while noting that most criminals will aim for the trunk once they break into a vehicle.

“If a criminal is looking at 10 vehicles to break into and one has a lock box in the car, they're going to break into that one to take the gun that's in the lock box - rather than secure it in a place where it just simply cannot be seen.

This is going to exacerbate the very problem that the bill sponsor is nobly trying to prevent.”

Similarly to Rep. Romer’s bill, Rep. Spiegelman advocated for the definition of firearm to be changed, because as is, these proposals put concealed carry permit holders at risk at breaking the law over technicalities.

There was no pushback to Rep. Spiegelman’s comments, which were the only remarks given on the House floor about the bill.

A roll call vote on House Bill 155 as amended resulted in 25 lawmakers voting yes and 16 no. The legislation now heads back to the Senate for a final vote; if it passes, it will head to Gov. John Carney’s desk for final approval.