House Bill 311, which would make it a Class A misdemeanor to possess a firearm on any university or college campus in Delaware, is making its way through the state legislature.
The bill is sponsored by Rep. Cyndie Romer (D-Newark) and awaits approval from Governor John Carney.
The most recent amendment to the bill lowered the charge of a Class F misdemeanor, which would carry a maximum 3-year sentence if convicted, to a Class A misdemeanor, which would hold up to a 1-year prison sentence and a $2,300 fine if convicted for possession of a firearm on university grounds.
“We’re lowering it to a misdemeanor because we’re not trying to catch people on felonies, we’re trying to keep our schools safe from gun violence,” Romer said. “We’re not trying to trick people.”
Another amendment also stipulates the difference between the streets in and around campuses that intersect with university property.
“We allowed the exclusion for rights of way so that we don’t have examples where somebody steps on one curb, and now all of a sudden they’re technically on university campus,” Romer said. “That’s not the intent. We really just want to make sure that our campus spaces are safe.”
The bill also expands “Safe School Zones” and would add higher education institutions to the existing School Safe Zone Act, which already prohibits firearms on K-12 property.
“We did realize that K-12 and colleges are different,” Romer said. “You look at a K-12 school, and they exist within pretty clear boundaries of where that school is, whereas we had to be a little bit more sensitive with the fact that the college exists within a town.”
Romer elaborated that the original intent of the bill is still there and that the true intention of the bill is to prohibit firearms on college campuses and not punish firearm owners.
“I went to the University of Delaware,” Romer said. “ I had my daughter at the University of Delaware. My friends’ kids are at the University of Delaware.”
Romer emphasized that the presence of firearms on campus can lead to an unsafe environment for everyone involved.
“I just think that when we look at campuses and we look at the potential for drugs, alcohol, young minds, debates, protests, things like that, guns just do not belong in that mix.” Romer said.
The bill was sent back to the House after passing the Senate 15-6. The bill then passed the House once more 27-14.
The 152nd legislative session ended Sunday, June 30. The bill, along with other passed gun legislation, now heads to the Governor’s desk, where he is expected to sign it.