Site icon Vermont Daily Chronicle

Gun control bills would set 48-hour waiting period, ban possession in some public places

Guy Page
dangerous crime safety security

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

By Guy Page

Bills introduced into the Vermont Senate would set a 48-hour waiting period for most firearms transfers, allow health care providers to notify police when a patient may harm self or others with a gun, and ban carrying firearms in some public places, Eric Davis of Gun Owners of Vermont (GoVT) reports.

On a Jan. 15 Facebook post, GoVT provided information on the following bills:

S4  would require a 48-hour waiting period for most firearms transfers. It was introduced Jan. 12 by Senator Phil Baruth (D/P – Chittenden) without co-sponsors and sent to Senate Judiciary, where Baruth is vic-chair.

S5, would require the state to report annual data on the use of extreme risk protection orders, and permit a health care provider to notify a law enforcement officer when the health care provider believes a patient poses an extreme risk of causing harm to himself or herself or another person by purchasing, possessing, or receiving a dangerous weapon or by having a dangerous weapon within his or her custody or control.

S5 was sent to Senate Judiciary after being introduced Jan. 12 without co-sponsors by Sen. Richard Sears (D-Bennington), chair of Senate Judiciary. 

S.30 would ban possession of firearms at childcare facilities, hospitals, and government buildings (not including U.S. government buildings). It was introduced Jan. 14 by Baruth and co-sponsored by Sens. Balint, Bray, Campion, Chittenden, Clarkson, Cummings, Hardy, Hooker, Lyons, McCormack, Pearson, Perchlik, Ram, Sirotkin and White. It too was referred to Senate Judiciary.

Senate Judiciary is scheduled to take testimony on S30 Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 9 AM, via Zoom. Only one representative of a ‘gun rights’ organization, Chris Bradley of the Vermont Federation of Sportsmens Clubs, has been invited to testify. The following people are scheduled to testify: 

S. 31, co-introduced by Senators Alison Clarkson (D-Windsor) and Ruth Hardy (D-Addison), is a “catchall” gun control bill that would:

(1) require a 72-hour waiting period for all firearms sales; 

(2) repeal the statute that permits large capacity ammunition feeding devices to be manufactured in Vermont; 

(3) require that, when a firearm is not in a person’s immediate possession or control, the firearm must be locked in a safe storage depository or rendered incapable of being fired; 

(4) permit a family or household member to file a petition for an Emergency Risk Protection Order; and 

(5) authorize health care providers to inform a law enforcement officer when the health care provider reasonably believes that a patient poses an extreme risk of causing harm to himself or herself or another person by purchasing, possessing, or receiving a dangerous weapon or by having a dangerous weapon.

“GoVT is working closely with the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Club on these bills and we promise to keep everyone up to speed on any new developments. Be sure to check back frequently as things move quickly this time of year,” Davis said.

Exit mobile version