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Hi all-

Beaus ready to go on CNN in another minute or two. Additionally, he is now booked for Rachel Maddow tonight, with a 9:00 hit time.

Thanks,
Molly

Sent via iPhone


On Jan 14, 2013, at 2:02 PM, Molly Magarik <molly.magarik@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi everyone--
>
> Tonight, Beau will be on the Situation Room to discuss the gun violence legislation that he proposed today with the Governor. The hit time is 5:20pm.
>
> Below are some early clips from the press conference--
>
>
> Tighter gun control proposed for Delaware
>
> Amy Cherry
>
> Governor Markell and Attorney General Biden take the wraps off five proposed gun safety regulations meant to make Delawareans safer.
>
> Using the one month anniversary of the Sandy Hook tragedy, Governor Markell and Attorney General Beau Biden are seeking an all-out ban on assault rifles and semi-automatic weapons.
>
> "These are weapons of mass destruction that are meant for battle," says Biden.
>
> Other measures include banning the sale of large capacity magazines.
>
> "Every one of these mass shootings has used a large capacity magazine. It is the essential piece of equipment for a criminal, who wants to shoot a lot of people," says Denn.
>
> If the proposed measure becomes law, those who already own large capacity magazines would be permitted to keep them, but would be banned from possessing them in public.
>
> Denn calls the issue of gun control one that's "intractable" in other states and in D.C. and it won't stay that way in Delaware.
>
> "We will not bury our heads in the sand pretend that gun violence has nothing to do with guns," Denn says.
>
> The proposed measures also seek to prohibit guns within 1,000 feet of a school. Those who own guns and live within a school zone would be exempt, so long as the gun stays on their property.
>
> The remaining measures would require lost or stolen guns to be reported within 48 hours, and background checks for private gun sales.
>
> "A system that ignores four out of every ten gun sales is a system that is broken, and we need to fix it," says Markell.
>
> Of these five measures, the biggest battle will, no doubt, be the ban on assault rifles.
>
> "...which will be a fight. This will not a be a Democrats versus Republicans issue. I stand here before you saying it does not infringe upon the Second Amendment," AG Biden says.
>
> And it looks like that battle has already begun. The National Rifle Association has issued a statement saying Governor Markell isn't as interested in protecting children as he is in protecting the anti-gun agenda. The group says the law abiding Delawareans who responsibly exercise their right to own a gun are being demonized.
>
> The Delaware State Sportsmen's Association also expressing deep disappointment over what they're calling Markell's "anti-gun measures."
>
> Calling it "political theater," the group says none of the proposed measures will make anyone safer or effectively address the criminal gang violence plaguing the City of Wilmington.
>
> Gun control measured unveiled in Delaware
>
> January 14, 2013
>
> By Mark Eichmann
> Delaware Governor Jack Markell revealed a package of five measures designed to prevent gun violence in the state in reaction to last month's shooting massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut.
>
> Markell marked the one month anniversary of the second deadliest school shooting in U.S. history by taking the wraps of his agenda to reduce gun violence. He expects plenty of debate over these measures in the General Assembly.
>
> "I respect the 2nd Amendment, but the measures that we propose today are entirely constitutional," he said.
>
> Markell pledged that no member of his administration would question the intentions of any lawmaker who disagrees with his agenda. "I expect a robust debate, but I believe this is not a debate about the 2nd Amendment."
>
> Background checks
>
> The agenda includes background checks for all gun sales. Markell says 60 percent of gun sales happen with licensed dealers and the requisite background checks, but that means 40 percent of sales are between private citizens, sales that don't require background checks. Markell says a system that doesn't check four out of 10 gun purchases is a system that is broken.
>
> "In Delaware, over the past seven years, about 3,500 applications for gun transfers or permits were denied because the applicant failed a background check. There's nothing to stop those applicants from obtaining a gun if they choose to purchase from someone other than a licensed dealer." State Rep. Valerie Longhurst will sponsor the background check bill.
>
> Reporting lost or stolen guns
>
> In an effort to help police track guns used in crimes, Markell wants to implement a mandatory reporting requirement for lost or stolen weapons. He says all too often police questioning a gun owner about why their gun was at the scene of a crime, only to have the owner say the gun had been stolen some time ago. Quoting a 2002 study, Markell says 1.7 million firearms were stolen from 1993 to 2002. He says more than one million of those guns were still missing as of the time of the study. Almost 300 guns were reported stolen in Delaware last year.
>
> Currently, gun owners have no requirement to report lost or stolen weapons. "Without mandatory reporting, there's very little the police can do when an owner says, 'I lost my gun,' even even if they suspect the owner really sold it to a criminal," Markell said.
>
> Under Markell's plan, gun owners would have 48 hours to report a loss or stolen gun. Seven other states and the District of Columbia have similar requirements. State Senator Margaret Rose Henry will be the prime sponsor of this bill.
>
> Ban on large magazines
>
> Lieutenant Governor Matt Denn presented the third piece of the gun agenda, a ban on the sale, purchase, transfer or delivery of a large-capacity magazine. Denn says a study of 30 mass shootings in the US over the past 40 years showed a common denominator — large-capacity magazines. "It is the essential piece of equipment for a criminal who wants to shoot a lot of people," Denn said.
>
> Denn says it is often when gunmen have to reload that police or someone else are able to intervene to stop a mass shooting. He says reducing the number of bullets in a magazine would require a shooter to reload more often and create more opportunities for intervention.
>
> Specifically, the legislation would limit magazines to 10 bullets for handguns and 5 bullets for a rifle or shotgun.
>
> Assault weapons ban
>
> Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden outlined the final two parts of the agenda, and maybe the most controversial. That includes the fourth part of the plan which calls for a ban on automatic and semi-automatic weapons that were designed for military use and equipped with military features.
>
> Biden, who served in the Delaware National Guard for a tour of duty in Iraq, says that's where those types of weapons are useful, not here on the streets of Delaware. "The military-style weapon that is assigned to me resides in an armory under lock and key because it's needed only in one place, and that is Iraq and Afghanistan," he said. He says they are weapons of mass destruction that are meant for battle.
>
> Biden admits that getting the assault weapons ban will be a fight. "This will not be a Democrats versus Republican issue," he said. "I stand here before you saying it does not infringe upon the 2nd Amendment, which I strongly believe in."
>
> No guns near schools
>
> The fifth point in the plan would ban the possession of a gun within 1,000 feet of a school. "We need to do more to protect our students, especially when there's a discussion about arming more people in our schools," Biden said. People who live near schools would be exempt from the prohibition while on their own private property.
>
> Biden says this measure would create a safe school zone and give parents more peace of mind when dropping off their children at school that they will not become the next victims of gun violence.
>
> Markell said the state also needs to address the ways it helps young people struggling with mental illness and improve school safety. He plans to cover those topics in more detail in this Thursday's State of the State Address.
>
> State officials propose gun legislation
>
> WILMINGTON — A statewide ban on assault-style weapons and a limit on high-capacity magazines were among gun violence proposals presented this morning by the state's top elected officials.
> Gov. Jack Markell, Lt. Gov. Matt Denn and Attorney General Beau Biden held a news conference in Wilmington to announce the proposals.
>
> Biden, whose father Vice President Joe Biden is leading the Obama administration's effort on gun violence, took the lead on the weapons ban, which would restrict the sale and possession of assault-style weapons within Delaware's borders.
>
> "These weapons were designed for battle and simply have no place on our streets," said Biden, adding that the legislation has yet to be drafted, promising details soon.
>
> Other proposals presented today:
>
> • Would restrict the possession of a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school, but exempt nearby residents.
>
> • Make mandatory background checks for all private sales, not just those occurring at gun shows.
>
> • Require mandatory reporting of lost or stolen firearms within 48 hours of the incident.
>
> Markell said none of the measures restrict rights of citizens to own firearms.
>
> "I respect the Second Amendment. But the measures we propose today are entirely Constitutional," Markell said. "I expect a robust debate. That said, I believe this is not a debate about the Second Amendment."
>
> Contact Jonathan Starkey at 983-6756, on Twitter @jwstarkey or at jstarkey@delawareonline.com