By Guy Page
Gov. Phil Scott said at yesterday’s press conference his administration will take steps to “cut off” drug-related gun violence “at its source,” but he won’t outline what those steps are.
Scott did say that existing juvenile confidentiality and expungement laws make it harder to track young Vermonters being used as mules or other foot soldiers in the state’s drug trade.
Vermont Daily Chronicle: Six of seven gun homicides in the last six months in Vermont are related to drug crime. What is the state planning to do to reduce drug-related gun crime problems?
Scott: Building these cases isn’t something that happens overnight. It takes a long period of time to gather all the information, to make sure that we’re getting to the root of the problem. It’s not the the selling or the buying of drugs on the street that is the issue. It’s how the system is working – where is it coming from, and how do we cut off that source.
It takes a lot of effort, a lot of people, a lot of law enforcement to build a case to be sure that we can be effective. It seems as though every time we take someone off the street, there’s always somebody else to replace that person.
While I’m at it, I do feel that we have to take a look at what we’re doing in the state in terms of expungement of records. If there are youth that are involved in the illicit drug trafficking and are being used as mules, we never know about it if they’re not prosecuted or if their records are expunged.
We have to look at this holistically and figure out, how do we stop this from happening? Because it is growing. You’re right, there is a lot of gun activity that we’re seeing that is directly related to this illicit drug trafficking. So we are doing all we can, but we intend to do more, and I’m not going to communicate how that is, but we intend to do more.
Categories: Crime
I give our Governor great credit for daring to express his reservations about the criminal records expungements promoted by certain other public officials in the name of “reform”. Opponents of gun rights have recently brought attention to doing more thorough background checks on those aged 18-21 to purchase firearms. If the database doesn’t contain any useful info about past criminal behavior, then it is just yet another feel-good measure. The Governor is sure to have some long, bony fingers of indignation pointed at him by liberals who want to continue their efforts at “criminal justice reform”, even in the face of this current crime wave.
As far as root causes for the opioid/fentanyl-related violence and overdose death toll, one needs only look at the Biden policies regarding security of the US southern border. That’s where it’s coming from.
Go Governor Scott – Have you had an epiphany lately or is common sense & rule of law tending again as Vermont is poised on the precipice of destruction?
Have we and/or you hit rock bottom? We tried to let you know that socialism, defunding police, not punishing criminals, blaming everything on racism, etc. etc. wasn’t going to end well, but better late than never, Governor.
God forbid Zuckerman EVER becomes governor. But in reality, that is precisely WHY he’s seeking the Lt. Governor position again – to unseat you.
At that point – Vermont is cooked. God help us all.
If Scott really wanted to cut the source he’d have said no to more drug influences seeking to sell in Vermont – that is NO to commercialized cannabis. Those that wanted it already had plenty of access to getting it legally. Adding commercialization simply means luring more buyers, but they just start with cannabis – then it’s on to fentanyl and crack cocaine say the cops on the street. That’s where to gun violence more readily surfaces.
Navy Captain Bob Erbetta said it well at a Red Ribbon Drug Free kick off event, “Our nation’s enemies don’t need to fire a shot to bring America down, all they need to do is fan the flame on drug use.”
Well Governor, you voted for the source!
Phil Scott, your nose grows ever longer each passing day. Many Americans have seen and read some of the contents of Hunter Biden’s iphone and laptop. How did you miss it? You had the CCP at the State House February 2019. China is the biggest producer and distributor of Fentynal, no? The DEA says it is so. Drug trafficking and human trafficking happens in Vermont everyday for decades. Many know who profits from it and you, in turn, support them and likely profit from it without conscience. You are a willing participant in a criminal syndicate destroying our State and our Nation. Hence, Vermont is a cesspool of corruption.
It seems the good governor has realized this is an election year. Might have to address issues other than the dreaded wuhan flu. If the governor read the articles and comments here, he’d had a clue where the drug problem originates…spoiler alert, it’s government policies that exacerbate drug use and the problems caused by drug use….
The amount of fentanyl purported to be coming into the US thru the failed southern border is staggering- likewise the cocaine, heroin and marijuana. Liberal welfare policies, long ago put in place to combat “racism” and a plethora of other perceived social ills have morphed into “systemic” issues. Well, phil, after 50 plus years of these democrat-demanded “reforms”, here we are- on the doorstep of the “liberal world order”. But with the current occupant of the White House, there’s no mean tweets, so phil is blissfully happy and ignorant of the root cause of so many of Vermont’s and the nations issues.
Exactly Frank! And the governor says stop them (the drugs) at the source, yet he supports Joe Biden whose open border, lack of illegal alien enforcement and overall policies that are destroying the country are making their way here to destroy Vermont. The poison mandated injections from the DOD and Bidens Generals are about to decimate the National Guard and 260,000 military members knowing how dangerous this is for those men and women and the country.
Election season always changes the tone of the current political narrative. Are we to just forget what has been done and move on with new promises? I used to tell my daughter that when you meet that new guy who’s interested in you, realize that you are not meeting the real person. You are meeting his representative and you won’t meet the real guy until later. It’s the same with politicians at election time! Actions speak louder than words.
We’ve seen the actions already, now comes the new words. When will the governor admit that he used poor judgement in both his choice for president and then his choice in listening to those who continued to promote an experimental, unapproved nanotechnology drug, outlawed the use of effective cheap alternatives, forced the wearing of masks even though worthless, disrupted fair and free elections with bogus laws to mail ballots to people on outdated voter registration rolls, disrupted businesses, called us all racists for rejecting CRT in schools, forced state employees to undergo mandatory diversity training, failed to follow the constitution and tell the truth about vaccine dangers that were neither safe nor affective? And to continue to push the poison on children is unconscionable. Welcome to parade season, the narrative has suddenly changed, and they say vote for me! Take a look at what Kevin Hoyt says who’s running as an independent for Governor!
Just like the Prohibition of the 20’s as long as there is a demand there will be a supply. I am almost to the point of saying it’s time to legalize this crap.
Exactly Frank Bammo……..thinking of election and thats it……..I’m ready for a change…..a Big change…….Mr Scott you have utterly Failed us and Your State
Brian they did legalize marijuana which is a gateway drug to bigger stronger drugs
Dear Gov, in case you haven’t paid attention your buddy sleepy joe has left the border totally open in fact he encouraged illegal immigrants. And you promote sanctuary cities so you are promoting your own dam problems.
Another way to “cut off that source” is to stop allowing arrested drug deals to return to “that source” under the “catch and release” program the courts are running. More and more we see the “marginalized” residents of MA, CT, N, and PA getting arrested with enough quantity to be charged with trafficking, yet they are sent back home to “the source” on little more than a promise to show up for court and adhere to “conditions.”
In the NEK, at least, the “problem” comes straight up I-91 from MA and CT not Mexico. Just watch the arrests. Its a guy from MA hooked up with a young local woman at least 90% of the time. Tell the state cops to pull over every car from MA for 6 months, in Brattleboro! They come up to the far north because we don’t have enough police to monitor the rural areas. Communities need to make it clear they don’t want this crap in their towns, reach out to the youth and get them involved in something other than drugs and take away their parents state payments to sit home dealing drugs.
A large share of the drugs are coming across the border from Mexico and then make the trip to the states you mentioned. 120 countries have sent people to the southern US border. The drug cartels run the border drug operations and the Mexican government is corrupted by the money and threats of death. China is the major importer of fentanyl. So the drugs originate in Mexico from other countries around the world. Guns, criminals, gang member, sex traffickers, terrorists and others as well as the diseased are flooding the border in record numbers. Nothing is being done about this invasion.