DOVER, Del. (AP) - House lawmakers have approved a bill requiring Delaware gun owners to safely store firearms so people who shouldn't have them don't get them.
The bill received a 23-18 vote Tuesday and now goes to Gov. John Carney.
The legislation expands an existing provision regarding unlawfully permitting a child access to a firearm to a broader prohibition against unsafe gun storage. It makes it a misdemeanor to intentionally or recklessly leave a loaded firearm within the reach or easy access of a child or person prohibited from possessing a gun, resulting in the person obtaining the firearm.
A gun owner could face a higher-level misdemeanor if the unauthorized person used the firearm to commit a crime, gave it to another unauthorized person, or used it to seriously injure or kill someone.
