A Putney lawmaker and three other Democrats have introduced a bill that would ban possession of ‘semi-automatic assault weapons.’ Under H582, police and soldiers would be exempt.
The bill defines a ‘semi-automatic assault weapon’ as a semiautomatic rifle that has the ability to accept a detachable magazine and has at least one of the following features: “a folding or telescoping stock, a pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon” and several other features.
The lead sponsor is Rep. Mike Mrowicki (D-Putney). Other sponsors are Rep. Daisy Berbeco (Winooski), Melanie Carpenter (D-Hyde Park), and Leslie Goldman (Bellows Falls).
Flood control and resilience is clearly on the minds of lawmakers, including many who live in flood-ravaged central Vermont. And, they’re linking flood control with “climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience.”
H586, sponsored by Kari Dolan (D-Waitsfield) and 25 others, would create the Climate Infrastructure and Resilience Fund, including a board and staff. It would be funded by 2.5% of the state’s cash balance plus gifts from private or private sources. The Fund would “establish or authorize additional activities for the financing of climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience projects.”
H582 and H586 are among the 100+ new bills introduced on the first day of the 2024 Legislature.
Guy Page | Vermont Daily Chronicle
