DOVER, Del. (AP) - A state House committee has released a bill that establishes new criminal penalties for using a gun while committing a felony.
Under current law, a person convicted of having a gun while committing a felony faces a minimum sentence of three years in prison.
The bill discussed by the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday would increase the minimum penalty to four years if the offender brandishes the guns or threatens to use it.
The minimum sentence would increase to five years if the offender actually fires the gun, and to six years if he shoots and seriously injures somebody.
Those minimum sentences would be increased by an additional two years if the person has two or more previous felony convictions.
