BodyText2
Newark, DE - On April 30, Governor John Carney was joined by Vice President Joe Biden, Dr. Jill Biden, state representatives and senators, UD President Dennis Assanis, students, and law enforcement officials from around the state, as he signed HB 302, the Beau Biden Gun Violence Protection Act, into law on the lawn of the Biden Institute at the University of Delaware.
The Biden Institute at the University of Delaware was chosen for Mondays signing because of the legacy of the bills namesake, the late Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden. Speaking moments prior to the signing Vice President Biden, Beaus father, praised his sons commitment to gun safety saying, My son Beau always believed that there was room for common sense gun safety legislation. It is something he supported and worked for his whole professional career, including championing a nearly identical bill as Attorney General. The nearly identical bill referenced by Vice President Biden passed the Delaware House of Representatives in 2013 but was ultimately held up in the Senate. The Beau Biden Gun Violence Protection Act, signed on Monday, passed both the house and the senate with unanimous support.
In his remarks prior to signing the bill, Governor Carney expressed his satisfaction with Delaware lawmakers ability to put aside partisan divides and work together to pass common sense gun safety legislation. The governor touted the uniqueness of Delawareans citing the state's ability to come together in ways that other states seem unable to as evidenced by the unanimous support for legislation on such a contentious topic. The new legislation allows officials to restrict access to firearms for those whom mental health professionals deem to be a threat to themselves or the community while still protecting due process rights.
The bill will officially take effect 90 days after signing. See the official Delaware.gov press release here: https://news.delaware.gov/2018/04/30/beau-biden-gun-violence-prevention-act/
