First State lawmakers continue to debate legislation outlawing bump stocks.
House Majority Leader Valerie Longhurst’s (D-Bear) bill bans the sale and possession of devices that speed up the firing of semiautomatic rifles. The revised bill now returns to the Senate.
She amended it Tuesday to classify a first offense as a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail.
She originally sought to make the first offense a felony, which carries a maximum sentence of 5 years. But last month, the Senate dropped it to a Class B misdemeanor with a possible six-month jail term.
Longhurst said she compromised to get bipartisan support.
“I’m very passionate about banning them, but a Class A misdemeanor makes more sense to me," she said. "And I talked to the Republicans and everybody was on board with it.”
Longhurst said she hopes senators will accept her compromise.
“It doesn’t mean that it has to be a full year," she said. "It’s up to just like it’s up to six months. I just preferred it to be up to a year.”
The House also passed an amendment establishing a government program to buy back bump stocks. It sets aside $15,000 to compensate Delawareans for turning in the devices. The state will pay $100 for bump stocks and $15 for trigger cranks.
The buyback program would start July 1st and run for a year or until the money runs out.
