As president of the Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association, I would like to respond to the letter from Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America (“Permit-to-purchase bill backed by Moms Demand Action"). My group does not support the permit-to-purchase legislation that is pending in the House of Representatives. Credible research shows that permitting systems do almost nothing to reduce suicides or violent crime. It is a very rare instance where someone purchases a firearm and then immediately goes out and commits suicide. That decision is made months later. Firearms brought to schools are usually carried by juveniles who are not permitted to possess handguns. The research that groups such as Moms Demand Action relies upon is from a Daniel Webster from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. His and others’ research is funded by Michael Bloomberg, who is against law-abiding citizens owning any type of firearm. Those studies have been discredited by many other legitimate researchers.
There are only around nine states that have permitting systems, states such as New York, Illinois, California, Massachusetts and Maryland. If permitting reduces homicides, how does one account for the increasing homicide rates in New York City, Chicago, Boston and Baltimore? Also, Maryland’s permitting system was found to be unconstitutional by the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals just a couple of months ago.
As I have stated many times, it is not the object that violates the law; it is the criminal — in other words, the person who illegally uses the firearm or any other weapon. Until legislators are willing to hold people accountable who violate the law, with lengthy prison sentences, violent crime will continue to plague our cities. The Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association wrote and supported the firearms transaction approval process legislation that passed in June 2022. This enhanced comprehensive background check system was supposed to be implemented by December 2022. It has yet to go into operation. Officials indicate they hope to have it up and running by this summer.
Jeff Hague
President and legislative liaison
Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association
Ellendale
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
