welcome!
Addressing gun violence in Delaware is one of the most challenging and politically difficult tasks before us in the General Assembly. Finding the right legislative solutions requires a delicate balance between public safety and the Constitutionally guaranteed rights of our constituents, a policy tightrope that is often divisive both in and out of Legislative Hall.
That is why I am hosting the Delaware Gun Violence Forum, a daylong series of panels featuring national and local experts who can cut through the political rhetoric and offer insight on their experiences at the ground level.
This event is not slanted toward gun control or gun rights, nor is it tied to the advancement of any specific bill or proposal. Instead, we will provide Delaware-specific firearm data and ground-level experiences from prosecutors and defense attorneys, law enforcement and firefighters, firearms experts, gun shop owners, physicians and others.
The goal is to set aside the picket signs and bullhorns, and focus on the facts so that we can make a sober evaluation of where things stand now and foster more constructive conversations around this issue.
Our full Agenda is listed below. Each Panel Title links to a page with panelist info and slides from our presentation. You can read panelist biographies here.
That is why I am hosting the Delaware Gun Violence Forum, a daylong series of panels featuring national and local experts who can cut through the political rhetoric and offer insight on their experiences at the ground level.
This event is not slanted toward gun control or gun rights, nor is it tied to the advancement of any specific bill or proposal. Instead, we will provide Delaware-specific firearm data and ground-level experiences from prosecutors and defense attorneys, law enforcement and firefighters, firearms experts, gun shop owners, physicians and others.
The goal is to set aside the picket signs and bullhorns, and focus on the facts so that we can make a sober evaluation of where things stand now and foster more constructive conversations around this issue.
Our full Agenda is listed below. Each Panel Title links to a page with panelist info and slides from our presentation. You can read panelist biographies here.
agenda
Carvel State Building
820 N. French Street | Wilmington, DE 19801
820 N. French Street | Wilmington, DE 19801
Registration - Mezzanine Level, in front of Auditorium
8:00 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.
Opening Remarks - Sen. Stephanie Hansen
8:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
8:00 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.
Opening Remarks - Sen. Stephanie Hansen
8:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
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Delaware Gun Crimes and statistics9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
This panel will look closely at gun ownership and gun-related crime in Delaware, including the types of guns owned in Delaware, the circumstances and locations of shootings, mass shootings in the state, the origins of weapons used to commit crimes, and the outcomes of gun-crime cases. Link to panelist bios and slides |
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Background checks - people & guns
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
This panel will delve into the process of background checks conducted on people seeking to purchase firearms and the vulnerabilities of that process, as well as discuss how and whether the State should explore improvements. The lack of information on firearms offered for resale also will also be discussed, along with Delaware’s current landscape in the prevention of domestic violence-related gun crimes. Link to panelist bios and slides |
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home sales & storage of firearms
11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
This panel will discuss the prevalence of home-based businesses licensed to sell firearms, the geographic distribution of home-based and retail firearms dealers, how transactions in the home-based setting compare to commercial retail sales transactions, and the regulation of home-based dealers and firearm rentals. The related topic of firearm thefts from homes and vehicles also will be discussed. Link to panelist bios and slides |
-- lunch break --
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
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Keynote speaker: Dr. James Knoll - Mass Violence
1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
James L. Knoll, IV, M.D. is a Professor of Psychiatry at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York, and Clinical Director of Central New York Psychiatric Center in Marcy, New York. A nationally renowned expert in the field of forensic psychiatry, Dr. Knoll will present information on the psychiatry of mass murderers, myths, their motives, and which initiatives have shown promise in reducing gun violence. |
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Training and Licenses
2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
This panel will discuss the conditions under which Delaware currently requires firearm training and licensing, the cost and availability of training, and the processes for obtaining a concealed carry permit and a hunting license. Dr. Daniel Webster from the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research will present information on training and licensing requirements in other states and the effects of those policies on gun violence. Link to panelist bios and slides |
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Assault-Style weapons and magazines
3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
This panel will discuss the difficulties in defining assault weapons, definitions in the former federal law and current Maryland law, the characteristics and rationale that cause weapons to be classified as prohibited, and magazine size limitations. The panel also will discuss crimes committed with assault-style weapons, the recovery of assault- style weapons, mass violence and home invasions in Delaware. Link to panelist bios and slides |