June 28, 2013: Last night, the Delaware Senate emphatically rejected a bill backed by AG Beau Biden, son of VP Joe Biden, that was designed to keep firearms out of the hands of mentally ill persons. The rejection apparently “shocked” the AG because the final version of the bill had received a neutral stance from the NRA; but state senators said their offices were flooded yesterday with calls in opposition leading to their rejection of the bill. Among other things, the bill would have required mental health providers to notify police of persons that they believed posed a harm to themselves or others, and would have permitted courts to compel mentally ill persons to relinquish their firearms.
MAINE UPDATE: The bill which would have created a “strict liability” offense for transferring or selling a firearm to a prohibited person is dead after the Governor vetoed the bill and the Legislature voted not to pass the bill over the Governor’s veto.