Delaware lawmakers unanimously pass new gun control bill named for Beau Biden

The Delaware state General Assembly unanimously passed a new “red flag” gun control bill on Tuesday.

The Beau Biden Gun Violence Protection Act would allow police to temporarily seize firearms from someone deemed a danger to themselves or others by mental health professionals, Delaware Online reported. 

{mosads}It unanimously passed in the state Senate after 40 minutes of debate. The House unanimously passed the measure back in March.

The bill now heads to the desk of Gov. John Carney (D), who has said he will sign it.

Carney praised the passage of the bill on Twitter, saying it makes the state of safer “while protecting the due process rights of all Delawareans.”

The Senate unanimously passed the #BeauBiden Gun Violence Prevention Act. This legislation—one piece in a package in a comprehensive gun safety reform—takes responsible steps to protect DE communities by keeping firearms away from those who pose a danger to themselves or others. pic.twitter.com/PvqtYY22d2

— Governor John Carney (@JohnCarneyDE) April 24, 2018

This is commonsense, bipartisan reform that will make our state safer, while protecting the due process rights of all Delawareans.

— Governor John Carney (@JohnCarneyDE) April 24, 2018

The legislation is named after Delaware’s late attorney general and former Vice President Joe Biden’s son who died in 2015  following a battle with brain cancer.

It resembles a bill that Beau Biden had proposed in 2013 but which ended up failing in the state Senate, Delaware Online reported.

“My son Beau always believed that there was room for common sense gun safety legislation,” Joe Biden said. “It is something he supported and worked for his whole professional career, including championing a nearly identical bill as attorney general. While that bill came up short of passage before we lost Beau, he was always confident that we would move in the right direction.”

The “red flag” proposal is one of similar bills pending in 22 states and the District of Columbia, meant to notify law enforcement if a person shows “red flags” of being violent.

The proposal was supported by both gun control and some Second Amendment advocates to help battle gun violence following the Parkland, Fla., school shooting.

The Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association, an affiliate of the National Rifle Association, said mental health is at the focus instead of guns themselves.

“It’s not perfect, but it’s a good start that helps solve part of the puzzle,” President Jeff Hague said Tuesday. “This deals with the people that are one of the causes of most gun violence involving mass murders rather than putting all the focus on an inanimate object.”