Delaware
Third Circuit Court of Appeals hears oral arguments on two Delaware gun safety laws
The Third Circuit Court of Appeals hears oral arguments on Monday on a Delaware gun groups’ efforts to halt recently passed gun safety laws.
In April 2023, a federal judge denied the Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association’s (DSSA) request for a preliminary injunction against Delaware’s ban on assault weapons and large capacity magazines (LCM).
In their original complaint, DSSA argues these laws violate the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, as well as the state’s constitution, which says a person has the right to bear arms for self defense.
The federal judge’s ruling denying the preliminary injunction argues there are other non-assault weapons that can be used for self-defense and found the state is justified in regulating these types of weapons “to ensure the safety of Delawareans.”
“I find that the LCM and assault long gun prohibitions of HB 450 and SS 1 for SB 6 are consistent with the Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation. Plaintiffs have therefore failed to demonstrate a likelihood of success on the merits of their Second Amendment claim,” Judge Richard Andrews adds.
DSSA appealed that decision, but Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings is confident the court will deny the appeal and ultimately uphold the constitutionality of these laws.
“The idea that the founders envisioned anything like an AR-15 when they drafted the constitution is delusional. These guns originated as weapons of war, were marketed based on their military pedigree and have have emerged as the clear weapon of choice for mass shooters at a time when guns are the leading cause of death for children in our nation,” Jennings says.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin agrees with Jennings, noting New Jersey holds similar gun laws to Delaware and also falls under the jurisdiction of the Third Circuit.
“You are six times more likely to be shot and killed in Mississippi than in New jersey. That’s because of the strong gun laws that we have, how we enforce them and, as evidence today, how we along with states like Delaware and states across the country that have stood up to the NRA and others who would like to make our states less safe, in how we defend them,” Platkin says. “So I am very proud to be a part of this effort, and I’m confident that when the court hears the arguments, they will agree with us that these laws make sense, and they are entirely consistent with the constitution.”
Pennsylvania also falls within the Third Circuit, and Attorney General Michelle Henry says she supports Delaware: “I stand proudly next to partners in Delaware and New Jersey as leaders in stating our case that the line has to be drawn between maintaining freedoms essential to Pennsylvanians and our obligations as chief law enforcer to protect children, families, and communities from further harm.”
16 other states have joined New Jersey and Pennsylvania in filing a brief supporting the state of Delaware, while 20 states have filed a brief in support of the Delaware gun group’s attempt to overturn the decision.
Jennings says following Monday’s oral arguments, the state anticipates the Third Circuit Court of Appeals will issue a decision within the next few months.
Thomas Jefferson University is opening a regional campus of its Sidney Kimmel Medical College in Delaware, an effort that will result in the state’s first medical school.
Jefferson beat out three other bidders to establish the four-year program in partnership with the state. The other bidders were the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, the consulting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Ponce Health Sciences University in Puerto Rico, Spotlight Delaware reported.
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The inaugural class of 40 medical students will begin instruction in July 2028. Initially, the campus will be based at the University of Delaware in Newark, with Jefferson faculty providing instruction. A permanent home for the campus is still being finalized, the Inquirer reported.
The medical students will receive 18 months of preclinical training on campus before receiving clinical training from healthcare providers in Delaware’s southern counties, where the state’s physician shortage is most deeply felt. That shortage is compounded by an aging population, Delaware officials said.
“Jefferson is committed to being part of the solution to Delaware’s physician shortage,” Jefferson CEO Dr. Joseph Cacchione said in a statement. “We are proud to help build a future where every Delawarean has access to the care they deserve. Jefferson is all in.”
The school’s creation is being supported by $157.4 million from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Delaware is one of three states without a Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program. Since the late 1960s, Jefferson and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine have reserved seats for Delaware students.
“Sidney Kimmel Medical College has trained generations of physicians for more than 200 years, more than any other medical college in the country,” Said Ibrahim, dean of Sidney Kimmel Medical College, said in a statement. “It is a privilege to bring our mission to Delaware’s patients and communities.”
Jefferson has announced several expansions recently. The university is establishing a full-time doctor of nursing practice-nurse anesthesia program and several online graduate programs at the Lehigh Valley Health Network Center for Healthcare Education in Lehigh County. It also is opening a satellite respiratory therapy lab at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest in Allentown.
Delaware officials said medical students will start their classroom instruction at UD and then do their clinical training at offices and health care systems in Kent and Sussex counties, where the shortage of doctors is most acute.
However, ChristianaCare, which has its own partnership with Jefferson, is not participating. The state’s largest health care system was part of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine’s unsuccessful bid to operate the school. In a joint statement from ChristianaCare and PCOM, the two organizations expressed disappointment with not being part of the consortium of higher education institutions and healthcare organizations.
“The path forward raises genuine questions about whether the school’s goals can be fully realized without ChristianaCare’s meaningful participation in its clinical training mission,” it said. “The success of any four-year medical program depends not just on an academic institution, but on a true and committed partnership with its clinical partners — one built on shared mission, mutual investment and trust developed over time.”
Students in the first class can get their tuition subsidized, covering all of their education costs, in exchange for an agreement to work in rural Delaware for five years.
Running the medical school is expected to cost Jefferson $78 million over the next five years. The money is from a federal rural health grant through the Rural Health Transformation Program, which congressional Republicans created in the so-called “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act.”
The program will give $50 billion to every state over five years, though exactly the total each will eventually receive is unclear. Half of the money is to be distributed equally to states and the other half is awarded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services based on a variety of factors.
The state applied for $1 billion late last year to improve health care in Kent and Sussex counties. The Trump administration has so far allocated Delaware $157 million. Delaware is expected to receive at least $500 million over the life of the fund.
Delaware Ohio Housing Growth
A look at the rapid expansion of housing developments in Delaware, Ohio.
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Every few weeks Delaware city approves a new housing development. The city has more than 4,000 housing units in its development pipeline, contributing to the rapid growth in one of the fastest-growing counties in Ohio.
A crash shut down U.S. 42 in Delaware County in both directions June 2.
As of 7 a.m., U.S. 42 was closed from U.S. 23 to Jegs Place near the Delaware Municipal Airport.
It was not immediately clear whether anyone was injured in the crash or when the roadway would open.
This is a developing story and will be updated
Public Safety and Breaking News Reporter Bailey Gallion can be reached at bagallion@dispatch.com.
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