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Gun Background Check Bill Stalled in Delaware Legislature

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DOVER, Del. (AP) - A bill extending the amount of time for federal officials to conduct background checks on potential gun buyers in Delaware continues to languish in the legislature.

The state Senate had been scheduled to debate and vote on the measure Thursday, but adjourned without considering it for a second day.

The bill, which narrowly cleared the House, is now on Tuesday's Senate agenda.

Under federal law, a dealer cannot sell or transfer a firearm to a potential buyer until a federal background check has been done, or until three days have elapsed since the background check was requested.

The bill would extend the waiting time from three days to 30 days, but several amendments to shorten the waiting time to less than 30 days have been introduced in the Senate.

Don Rush is the News Director 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.