Delaware bills would infringe on gun rights, scare off responsible gun owners (opinion)

Robert “Bob” Miller is principal in Miller’s Gun Center in New Castle, and has 42 years' experience in the firearms industry. He has won nine Delaware skeet shooting titles and has been a board member, president, vice president and treasurer of the Delaware Skeet Shooting Association. 

Right-thinking Delawareans need to reach out today to their legislators to stand firmly in opposition to the political left’s effort to criminalize Second Amendment-protected gun ownership in the First State.

Senate Bill 68, another ban on many semi-automatic weapons, Senate Bill 82, which requires a purchase permit and creates a searchable database, and Senate Bill 70, a ban on so-called "high-capacity" magazines, all represent an intrusion on the rights of Delaware citizens — and all citizens protected by our nation’s founders.

In my view, all three bills are unconstitutional. Should Delaware adopt them, we as taxpayers will foot the bill for millions of dollars of legal costs before courts ultimately overturn these new laws.

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Why would the First State want to say to half the nation, “you’re not welcome here,” because you believe in and adhere to the Second Amendment freedoms? If I were responsible for Delaware’s tourism and promotion, I’d be going nuts with this.

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It is akin to Starbucks’ anti-concealed carry position. Leaders of Starbucks basically told people who believe that they should be able to carry concealed to protect themselves, their families and their communities: You are not welcome in Starbucks. Starbucks did not want them to be able to protect their loved ones in the coffee shops.

Many families abandoned Starbucks when that happened. And thousands, if not millions of Americans will abandon Delaware if the General Assembly takes these actions.

Look at the number of Second Amendment proponents who assiduously avoid New Jersey simply because of its onerous gun laws.

The juxtaposition in attitudes in the Delaware General Assembly is amazing. Some of its members want to “legalize” narcotic drugs that are still illegal under federal law, like marijuana.

Without getting into the issues of illegal drug use, it is beyond me why the State of Delaware would want to practice civil disobedience and fly in the face of federal law. They already have adopted the right compromise there, which is to decriminalize marijuana usage at the user level but retain prohibitions for street-corner drug dealers.

Now, in the opposite way, looking at a “protected” right under the U.S. Constitution, these same legislators say they want to “trim a little fat” off the 2nd Amendment.

Ridiculous.

SB 68 outlaws thousands upon thousands of firearms owned by tens of thousands of law-abiding Delawareans, including America's favorite rifle, the Colt AR-15, and many pistols Delaware homeowners use as home and personal defense firearms. 

Unlike last year's bill, this bill contains a registration provision.

The synopsis of SB 68 is full of half-truths and falsifications, all designed to make your Senators and Representatives believe that it is both necessary and constitutional. They know better. 

SB 82, the so-called “permit to purchase" bill, not only requires a permit to purchase a firearm, it also creates a bureaucratic delay of up to 30 days, a buyer registration database and a firearm database for each and every firearm purchased, and many other draconian, unreasonable and unnecessary requirements, very similar to the system used in Connecticut.

This bill is discriminatory, economically and socially. These permits and the process to get the permits are not free; they will adversely impact the poor who will thus be deprived of their right to defend themselves, their homes and their families.

SB 70, the so-called ban on "high-capacity" magazines, limits magazine capacity to 15 rounds and contains a confiscation provision. Like SB 69, this bill will adversely impact the poor by rendering existing firearms useless by outlawing the standard capacity magazine that originally came with the firearm when legally sold to the buyer.

My family and I have been an integral part of Delaware’s outdoors and firearms industry for more than a half century. Today, I operate a store in Wilmington Manor, across from Wilmington University, that was started 60 years ago by my mother and father.

In my experience, Delaware’s gun owners are thoughtful and responsible people, often even more responsible than non-gun owners. And, frankly, in my experience, these same people are the ones who would lay down their lives to protect their neighbors, not be a threat to their neighbors.