Gun laws in other states are saving lives and could work here in Delaware - according to a coalition pushing for gun safety reform.
Dozens of gun violence prevention advocates rallied Thursday in Rodney Square in Wilmington.
They’re calling on the General Assembly to enact gun safety measures including Senate Bill 3.
The bill would require a permit to purchase a gun. Supporters like Mara Gorman with the Delaware Chapter of Moms Demand Action say in states that have passed similar requirements, homicides by gun are down as much as 40 percent.
"The other thing that we know - and our attorney general said so - is that straw purchasing and trafficking of guns is a problem in Delaware. A permitting bill helps reduce that which means fewer guns on the street and in the hands of people who shouldn’t have them," she said.
Attorney General Kathy Jennings recently announced the arrests of five people accused of straw purchasing - meaning they illegally bought guns for other people.
The permit-to-purchase bill passed the Senate last spring but stalled in the House.
Gorman says the bill would not infringe on gun rights.
"We require people to have licenses to drive cars, it’s a common sense thing that people on both sides of the political spectrum support," she said.
The rally was followed by plans to canvas across the state and phonebank to advocate for the bill.
