The Vermont House Judiciary Committee, motivated by the shooting in Parkland, Florida, advanced sweeping gun control legislation this week on a party-line vote.
A House panel has narrowly advanced legislation that would expand background checks to private firearms sales, prohibit those under 21 from purchasing a firearm, and ban high-capacity magazines and bump stocks.
The proposed changes are predictable, matching the cookie-cutter left’s current policy narratives in the wake of recent events.
• Expanding background checks to include the private sales of firearms;
• Providing immunity to any licensed dealer who performs background checks in such a transfer from any civil or criminal liability. That immunity would not apply in the event of reckless or intentional misconduct by a licensed dealer.
• Increasing the age to buy a firearm in Vermont to 21, with exceptions for law enforcement and military members, including veterans, as well as a person who provides the seller with a certificate of completion of a Vermont hunter safety course or an equivalent hunter safety course that is approved by the commissioner of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
• Prohibiting a person from manufacturing, possessing, transferring, offering for sale, purchasing, receiving, or importing into the state a large capacity ammunition feeding device that can hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. The possession of such magazines legally owned before the legislation goes into effect would be exempt.
• Banning bump stocks.
• Setting up a process for police to dispose of guns that are currently kept in storage but no longer part of an open case.
The chief sponsor of the new restrictions was also hoping to ban “assault-style” weapons, add a 10-day waiting period for gun sales, and require locked storage of firearms, but these progressive wants were apparently a bridge too far even for the progressives Vermont Legislature.
But not too, too far.
Republican Governor Phil Scott recently had a come-to-Marx moment on firearm restrictions, disguising it as a school safety issue. He announced that he favors fast-tracking legislation that permitted some limits for those under 21 years of age.
Rule#1: Never fast-track anything based on emotion.
Rule#2: None of the proposed “reforms will do a damn thing to improve school safety.
If Scott signs the bill, however, New Hampshire could expect to see more complaints (from Vermont) about another form of cross-border commerce as people cross the Connecticut River to escape state oppression in the People’s Republic of Vermont.
Did you know they have a demographic problem too?
And I might be concerned, except that Vermont hasn’t shown much interest in pursuing or prosecuting residents who have addresses and pay taxes in Vermont but cross the river to vote illegally in New Hampshire elections.
If S.55 becomes law, maybe we could work something out.
Update: Signed into Law in April of 2018.
