Montpelier gun banners worked their way around the Governor's veto of S.30 and advanced a new gun bill, S.4, that incorporated the Governor's suggested change. This essentially put a band-aid on a catastrophe. S.4 is still a horrible bill, and underscores what anti-gun majorities in the Vermont Statehouse view as their priority.
S.30 originally began as a “location restriction” for hospitals but evolved into an Omnibus Gun Control Bill. One of the focal points of the legislation expanded NICS delayed background checks indefinitely. It also expanded the state’s red flag law. After the Governor vetoed the bill and called for the indefinite wait on NICS delayed checks to be amended to 7 days, the Legislature quickly responded with S.4. They took an existing bill on another subject and did a "strike all" to address the Governor's lone grievance with the bill. The Senate also voted to override the Governor's veto, but they did not have the votes for an override in the House. As a result, the House passed S.4 on Thursday on a 90-42 roll call vote that was largely along party lines. Having now passed both chambers, S.4 advances to Gov. Phil Scott for consideration.
Anti-gun legislators have proven they are more interested in pushing their political agendas rather than working on any number of other serious, real-world problems. They have devoted an extraordinary amount of time this session to pushing gun control, and the agenda will not change until the lawmakers are changed. Elections have consequences, and gun owners need to remember this in November. Their brazen moves in an election year underscore that they will not be deterred until they are sent a message at the ballot box. NRA will continue to fight against all infringements on the Second Amendment and stand up for Vermont gun owners.