Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed the sponsor of H.381 as Judiciary Chair Martin LaLonde. The Chronicle regrets the error.
By Paul Bean
Lawmakers on February 28 introduced a bill that seeks to prohibit the manufacture, distribution, sale, purchase, or transfer of gas-operated semi-automatic firearms, a category that includes popular rifle models like the AR-15.
Sponsored by Democrats Rep. Angela Arsenault (Williston), Rep. Barbara Rachelson (Burlington), and Rep. Michael Mrowicki (Putney), H.381 was referred to the House Committee on Judiciary. Reps. Arsenault and Rachelson are members of Judiciary, the lower chamber’s most influential committee for firearms legislation. The bill is unlikely to proceed this session, as it did not pass out of Judiciary by the March 14 Crossover deadline.
Congress and other state Legislatures have seen similar bills banning gas-operated firearms introduced. The New Mexico Legislature earlier this month passed a similar bill out of committee.
Supporters of the bill – such as X poster and policy advocate Sam Donnelly (below) – say it aims to address concerns over gun violence by targeting firearms that use gas-operated systems to cycle rounds.
Donnelly has affiliations with childcare payroll tax advocacy, the Burlington Business Association, and the Reproductive Liberty Amendment.
“The bill (H.381) targets gas-operated systems, mainly in assault rifles, not all semiautomatics. Pistols and submachine guns typically use blowback systems (not that you’d know Paul). Maybe read the bill before freaking out next time.” wrote Sam Donnelly on X in reply to my post “Vermont liberal lawmakers trying to ban Semiautomatic weapons…”
“For someone who claims to care about transparency and truth, you sure do generalize and mislead people a lot,” replied Donelly as a final little jab.
In fact, the AR-15 (which stands for Armalite Rifle, not Assault Rifle as often assumed), is a gas-operated firearm.
Opponents see the bill as an overreach that infringes on Second Amendment rights. Upon further research and review of the proposed legislation, users on X pointed out below Sam’s post that gas-operated systems included a very high percentage of firearms:
As a measure of transparency and integrity, I reached out on X to one of our sponsors, Parro’s Gun Shop in Waterbury, to confirm the accuracy of claims made by users. “Any ban on firearms goes directly against the 2nd amendment,” replied Parros in a post on X. “All nonsense.”
The bill’s fate remains uncertain as it awaits further discussion in committee. Its introduction follows a wave of gun-related proposals in the Vermont Legislature this session, including measures to limit firearms in government buildings and establish a voluntary licensing system. However, several anti-gun bills failed to advance past the March 14 crossover deadline, signaling resistance to sweeping changes.
This morning VDC reached out to Governor Scott’s office to find out if the bill were to reach his desk, would he veto it?
“This isn’t a bill that we’ve been monitoring,” wrote the Governor’s Press Secretary, Amanda Wheeler in reply by email. “It looks like it has a long way to go before reaching the Governor’s desk for action so it’s too soon to know what action the Governor may take.”
H.381 did not advance through the March 14 crossover deadline for the 2025 legislative session. No anti-gun bills, including H.381, met this deadline, effectively stalling them for the 2025 session. However, as it’s part of a two-year biennium the bill could still be revisited next year.