By Michael Bielawski
Both candidates for the office of Lieutenant Governor, Republican John Rodgers and Progressive/Democrat David Zuckerman, appear to support a ban on ‘assault weapons,’ according to statements in an October 9 Vermont Public (former VPR) debate.
When answering the question “Do you support an assault weapons ban?” at the 45:44 mark, Rodgers – a former Democrat chosen by Republicans over the other primary candidate, Greg Thayer – said, “I don’t think anybody needs automatic weapons.”
VDC has emailed Rodgers and campaign advisor Casey Toof for more information and clarification. The response will be published as soon as received.
There are two kinds of automatic weapons, semi-automatic (pull the trigger for each shot) and fully automatic (hold the trigger for rapid fire). The former is the most common type of gun owned by civilians and the latter is illegal and only found in the military.
Second Amendment advocates have noted the term is dubious and often used interchangeably for both types of automatics. Merriam-Webster’s definition doesn’t narrow the field, stating they are “any of various automatic or semiautomatic firearms.”
Gun control advocates often use ‘assault weapon’ as a reference to the AR-15, a semi-automatic rifle with a military-style look. Zuckerman compares these guns to those used in the military. The AR-15 is extremely popular among gun owners, in Vermont and nationwide.
“I just, it’s, it’s ridiculous to me that weapons that are designed for military warfare are sold out there when folks can still get the weapons they need for hunting or self-protection,” he said.
Zuckerman targets AR-15
Zuckerman specifically calls out the AR-15 as a gun he would like to see restricted.
“And yeah, the expansion in that regard would be the AR-15s. And I appreciate the idea around the searchable database. That’s a great idea.”
A report by Reason highlights the common-use argument by Second Amendment supporters. It notes the SCOTUS case District of Columbia v. Heller, which overturned a local handgun ban in Washington DC in 2008. They write that this case establishes that firearms “in common use” for “lawful purposes like self-defense” shall remain unrestricted.
The AR-15 is widely considered a common-use rifle. A report by Statista.com indicates that nearly a quarter of all U.S. guns manufactured in the U.S. as of 2020 were AR-15s.
Zuckerman is generally in favor of more gun restrictions.
“So I have supported all of the different gun laws that have moved through the state in these last few years to try to move towards sensible gun policy,” he said.
Rodgers voted for red flag laws
Rodgers said he has supported red-flag laws, which are laws intended to disarm an individual deemed at high risk for a shooting crime.
“Number one, we have to do a better job getting rid of drug dealers and drug traffickers, where the majority of the violence, shootouts and illegal guns are coming from. I did support red ag laws, even though there are some constitutional rights issues, they are one of the things that I advocated for, which, again, it goes to national politics.”
Rodgers emphasized the importance of knowing who is already not allowed to have a gun.
“The database for people who are not supposed to have firearms should be publicly searchable that way,” he said. “People, if they saw somebody you know and they thought they had a firearm, they could actually look at that and call law enforcement and let them know that these people that were not supposed to have them had them, because that is one of the problems with a lot of the drug dealers and drug traffickers.”
Candidates debate education, drug policies, the economy, and more
The whole debate can be listened to and read via the transcript at VPR’s site. The candidates differ on matters such as overdose prevention sites, how to approach the housing crisis, how to tax Vermonters, and more.
The author is a reporter for the Vermont Daily Chronicle