If you were standing outside of Legislative Hall in Dover in the early morning of Feb. 28, you might have heard the sounds of gunfire. In a parking lot less than a mile away, four men were shot and bleeding on the pavement. It was the second shooting in Dover that night.
Since March 11, 2020, when the first COVID-19 case was diagnosed in Delaware, more than 320 people have been shot in interpersonal shootings across the state. That’s almost one person a day, every day, throughout the pandemic. Many others have died in firearm suicide, a number that accounts for almost half of all gun deaths, and others likely have suffered injuries that haven’t been reported at all.
Gun violence has surged across the country in the past year, and Delaware is no exception. The state has suffered more than a 60% increase in gun violence during the pandemic compared with the year prior.
These relentless shootings have compounded the trauma and loss caused by COVID-19 in the communities hit hardest by the virus. Nationwide, Black and Brown Americans make up less than a third of the total population but suffer nearly three-quarters of gun homicides. In Delaware, 60% of shootings take place in the mostly minority cities of Dover and Wilmington.
Every American should be able to thrive free from gun violence, and there are proven ways to address this daily threat in underserved communities. Across the country, cities and states that have invested in community-driven strategies like group violence intervention, relationship-based street outreach and hospital-based violence-intervention programs have experienced significant reductions in violence. Delaware should support community violence-intervention programs through state budget allocations and federal funds.
A growing body of research shows that other sensible policies can also drive down gun violence. For example, gun-licensing laws promote safe gun ownership and reduce gun deaths. When Connecticut passed a licensing law, its firearm homicide rate decreased by 40%, and its firearm suicide rate decreased by 15%. On the flip side, when Missouri repealed its licensing law, its firearm homicide rate increased by 25%, and its firearm suicide rate increased by 16%. A strong gun-licensing law, implemented equitably, will help save lives.
Delaware’s legislators have taken important steps to protect their communities from gun violence in recent years, including the passage of extreme risk-protection orders, which facilitate the temporary removal of guns from individuals who pose a threat to themselves or others.
Delaware recently received a grade of B on the Gun Law Scorecard that my organization, the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, releases annually. Year after year, our scorecard finds that states with the strongest laws tend to have the lowest gun death rates.
Courageous legislators should take heed and pass critical gun-safety legislation this session to continue the progress they’ve made. By continuing to pass commonsense gun laws, the legislature can stop another Delaware family from having to experience a preventable gun-related tragedy.
David Pucino is a senior staff attorney with Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
