Rep. Morrison Highlights Donna’s Law, a Voluntary Registry to Prevent Firearm Suicide
DOVER – In observance of Suicide Prevention Month this September, Rep. Eric Morrison is highlighting a law he sponsored in 2024 that gives Delawareans a new, voluntary tool to protect themselves during moments of mental health crisis.
House Substitute 1 for House Bill 342, modeled after a national legislative framework known as Donna’s Law, established Delaware’s Voluntary Firearms Do-Not-Sell Registry. The program, which is now up and running statewide, allows any individual to voluntarily enroll in the registry for the purpose of temporarily prohibiting themselves from purchasing a firearm.
“When more than half of all firearm deaths in Delaware are suicides, it is extremely important that we provide people who are living with mental illness a way to protect themselves from their own worst moment,” said Rep. Eric Morrison.
“A voluntary registry, which is available not only in Delaware, but in many other states throughout the country, allows someone who knows they may be vulnerable to put a safeguard in place for themselves before a crisis hits. This is self defense against suicide.”
The registry allows individuals to voluntarily and confidentially enroll by personally submitting a completed enrollment form to any Delaware law enforcement agency.
Under the law, an individual on the registry may request removal no sooner than 30 days after being entered. Anyone who transfers a firearm to a person listed on the registry in violation of this law is guilty of a class A misdemeanor for a first offense and a class G felony for any subsequent offense.
“We know that time and distance between a person in crisis and a firearm can mean the difference between life and death, “said Anne McWalter, a volunteer with the Delaware chapter of Moms Demand Action.
“We are grateful to Representative Morrison for his leadership in passing this law that gives those experiencing a mental health crisis the agency to take control of their own safety.”
“I lost my mother Donna to firearm suicide, and I know firsthand how devastating it is to lose someone who might have survived if there had been one more barrier between a moment of crisis and an irreversible decision. Donna’s Law offers a powerful form of self-defense against suicide: the ability to protect your future self,” said Katrina Brees, Founder of Donna’s Law.
“By allowing individuals to voluntarily and confidentially restrict their own access to firearms, Delaware is empowering people to make a deeply personal decision about their own safety. This is about autonomy, privacy, and giving people the tools to protect their own lives. I am profoundly grateful to see Delaware put this life-saving option into the hands of its residents, and I hope other states will follow.”
Continuing to highlight resources and tools for those who may be living with a mental illness, Rep. Morrison will be hosting a town hall about mental health and domestic violence on Wednesday, October 21 from 6-8pm at the atTAcK addiction Resource Center in Peoples Plaza in Newark.
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