Testimony before the Delaware State Senate on Permits for Handguns

Dr. John Lott testified before the Delaware State Senate regarding a bill to require permits to own a handgun.

A copy of the bill (SB 2) is available here. The bill requires training requirements and has up to a thirty-days for people to get the permit. If you require training to be completed before you can file for the permit, you effectively mean that people can’t get a permit for 60 or even 90 or more days.

More details on the problems with the Bloomberg School of Public Health’s claims are available here regarding Connecticut and Missouri. A discussion about Maryland is available here.

The fiscal note on the bill estimates that it will cost $10 million in its first year and $9 million each year after that. Of that, $2,275,000 is the estimated cost associated with issuing vouchers for low-income residents for the cost of a training course, assuming an average cost of $175 per course and that approximately 13,000 low-income individuals may qualify for the program under the provisions of this Act. We estimate that this underestimates the cost. First, the course cost is clearly over $175, and we have seen time after time.