Vermont: Bad Gun Bill Could Become Worse in House Committee

Things are bad enough in Vermont that the Legislature had to resort to meeting virtually instead of in-person.  However, that hasn’t stopped them from wasting their time attempting to solve problems that don’t exist in one of the safest states in the country – like people carrying guns in hospitals.  This is the very definition of the proverbial solution in search of a problem.  If ever there was proof that gun control is about politics and not public safety, this is it.

S.30 by Sen. Phil Baruth passed the Senate last year and carried over into the 2022 session.  This week, the House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to begin action on the legislation.  The Committee plans to meet on Zoom at 10:00 a.m. Thursday, January 13.  However, they also intend to add more gun control to it. 

The original Senate-passed bill restricts the carrying of firearms in hospitals.  Additionally, hospitals would also include scores of other buildings which would be off limits.   The bill would also allow for the prosecution of individuals even if there is no criminal intent.  This is purely a possessory offense.  NRA testified against this bill last year.

This week, the House Judiciary Committee plans to further amend the bill to extend NICS-delayed transfers from 3 days to 30 days.  Under current federal law, a check that comes back as delayed is allowed (but not required) to be completed after three business days have passed.  Fortunately, most of the delays are cleared within three days.  This is a situation not uncommon for people who have common names.  However, under S.30, these individuals would be caught in an infinite loop.  NICS checks are only good for 30 days, and if an FFL is forced to sit on the transfer for a month, a new check has to be initiated and the process repeats itself.  

NRA-ILA opposes this infringement on the Second Amendment, and we will work diligently to defeat this harmful legislation, along with all the other bad bills that are likely to hit the hopper in Montpelier.  Please continue to follow these NRA-ILA alerts for the latest updates. ​