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Delaware Senate Set to Ban Bump Stocks

Bump stock

DOVER, Del. (AP) - The Delaware Senate is poised to give final approval to a bill banning devices that increase the rate of fire of semi-automatic rifles.

The bill, released by a Senate committee Wednesday, defines bump stocks as "destructive weapons" and makes it a felony to have one. The bill has passed the House and is scheduled for a Senate vote Thursday.

The Senate also will vote Thursday on a bill strengthening the penalty for straw purchases, in which a person buys a gun to sell or give to someone prohibited from having one.

Meanwhile, a House committee on Wednesday released two other gun-control bills. One raises the age for buying rifles from 18 to 21. The other is aimed at keeping guns away from people deemed potentially dangerous for mental health reasons.

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Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.