The day after a 19-year-old gunman killed 17 students at a Florida high school, Gov. Phil Scott defended Vermont’s permissive gun laws and rejected calls for new restrictions.
“We’re fortunate we’re one of the safest states in the country, and I believe our gun laws are balanced,” the first-term Republican said Thursday afternoon. “They balance public safety with our rights.”
Rather than limiting access to firearms, Scott said the state should focus on providing more training and drills in schools so that staff and students can prepare for active-shooter situations.
“We should do more [training], and certainly we should be vigilant at this point in time,” Scott said, citing concerns about “copycat” shootings in the wake of the Florida massacre.
Sen. Phil Baruth (D/P-Chittenden), an outspoken gun control proponent, saw it differently. He said the latest incident should “increase the shame” on the Vermont Senate, which he criticized for failing to address gun violence.
“We are doing jack shit about a problem that’s every bit as pressing nationwide as the opioid epidemic,” Baruth said Thursday. “And the reason I say that is not to denigrate what’s happening with the opioid epidemic — people are dying — but the mass-shooting epidemic that we’re experiencing is decaying American life at its foundation.”
Five years ago, after a gunman killed 26 people at Connecticut’s Sandy Hook Elementary School, Baruth introduced legislation banning assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition. Under pressure from fellow senators, he quickly withdrew the bill.
In 2015, the Senate considered legislation that would require anyone purchasing a gun in Vermont to undergo a federal criminal background check. Current law mandates such checks only when the seller is a federally licensed firearm dealer.
That bill failed on a 3-2 vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee, with Sens. Tim Ashe (D/P-Chittenden) and Jeanette White (D-Windham) supporting it and Sens. Dick Sears (D-Bennington), Alice Nitka (D-Windsor) and Joe Benning (R-Caledonia) opposing it.
Baruth made a new push for universal background checks last year. But because the panel still consists of the same five members, he argued, “one senator in that committee is making the decision for the entire Senate” as to whether his bill reaches the floor for debate.
“What I’ve been trying to say since the beginning of this session is that that’s not allowable anymore,” Baruth said. “We’ve reached a point where we have to demand that the Senate function as the deliberative body it’s supposed to be.”
Attorney General T.J. Donovan said Thursday that he supports Baruth’s proposal.
“I understand the culture of sportsmen and women. I fully support it,” the Democratic AG said. “They are responsible gun owners, but when somebody … is a threat to our public safety, they have forfeited their right to own and to possess a firearm, in my opinion.”
House Speaker Mitzi Johnson (D-South Hero) responded to the Florida shooting by condemning inaction by Congress.
“It was yet another awful and sobering event,” she said. “At some point Congress decided that it was okay for children to die.”
Johnson noted that the Vermont House passed a bill last year that would allow police to confiscate guns when they make an arrest for domestic violence. That legislation is also stuck in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Sears, who chairs the panel, has refused to advance the House bill, citing constitutional concerns.
Sears said Thursday that Florida’s school shooting would not change his approach to gun legislation. He introduced a bill this year that would create a court process allowing police to take guns away from those deemed to be an “extreme risk” to themselves or others. He said that such a policy might prevent situations similar to this week’s mass shooting, “assuming that somebody came forward and said to police, you know, this person is dangerous right now and has shown these pictures on Facebook, has indicated threats.”
Gov. Scott said Thursday that he had not spoken with Sears about the bill, but he indicated that he would keep an open mind if it passed the legislature.
“We’ll make sure that we have all voices heard on that,” the governor said. “I agree with the premise that someone that has a mental illness should be prevented from obtaining a firearm.”
But Scott said his mind was made up about Baruth’s universal background check bill. He noted that early reports suggest the Florida shooter passed a background check in order to obtain the weapon he used in the shooting.
“So that doesn’t always prevent these types of situations, unfortunately,” Scott said.
Disclosure: Tim Ashe is the domestic partner of Seven Days publisher and coeditor Paula Routly. Find our conflict-of-interest policy here: sevendaysvt.com/disclosure.
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Sears is a bully and needed to be voted out years ago.
Phil Scott’s quote “So that doesn’t always prevent these types of situations, unfortunately,” is the type of reckless and thoughtless thinking that prohibits this country from moving forward. If a universal background check could prevent just one mass shooting or save one life, would that not be worth it to the citizens that Governor Scott serves? One life should be worth more than the cost and relatively minor inconvenience that a potential gun buyer and seller need to go through with a background check. Does the governor have our best interests at heart?
Wow Paul! The bodies aren’t even cold yet.. This may be a new record for you.
Senator Baruth. You compare the opiod epidemic (Contrived by the pharma companies making a killing on it), to the gun problem? The opiods have been 100% illegal and fully banned for decades. How is that working out? Good solution, problem solved?
“So that doesn’t always prevent these types of situations, unfortunately,” Scott said.
Nothing is a 100% guarantee but something that even reduces people from bringing guns into schools and shooting at children by 25% seems like a good idea to me.
Scott has no idea what the constitution does or does not allow. Gun rights, as with most rights (see free speech) are not unlimited, despite popular opinion. Congress can and should way public safety concerns against the individuals right to own a gun. This should not be a partisan bloodbath. Instead, reasonable people should agree to discuss how to limit shooting deaths.
Applestoapples.
Your statements are pitiful. An absolute demonstration that you have no understanding of the constitution AT ALL.
The constitution does not “allow” us anything. It is a guarantee, a statement of our claim to our god given birthrights and a restriction on the government “We The People” allow to exist.
I cannot imagine waking up today – the day after a mass shooting – and thinking, “ah, now i need to defend guns on the internet.”
Truly shameless.
Rights that are limited are no longer rights they are by definition, privileges.
It has long been said that gun control has nothing to do with guns and everything to do with control. That theory is 100% spot on.
The segregation of firearms owners is not a new thing. The first arms control laws in North America started in the late 1600s to ensure that enslaved people could not rise against the governing populous.
Each and every gun control law passed in the United States since its creation has been based on trying to control a given subset of the population. First by race, then by nationality, religion, creed and any other reason the majority population could think of to segregate a minority.
Native Americans were disarmed for their own protection. Stripped of their homes, property and slaughtered by the governing majority. New Yorks Sullivan Act was passed to keep the Irish immigrants from protecting themselves from the Tammany hall regime that ruled the city. Jim Crow laws made citizens prove just cause to carry arms. The Just cause definition being that you were not a person of color. Martin Luther King Jr was denied a pistol permit because he had no just cause. Think about that for a minute. The Mulhurn act in California was directly enacted when the black citizens of LA protected themselves from corrupt law enforcement. The gun control act of 1968 followed the civil rights riots in Watts. The Brady act and 1994 AWB followed the riots after the officers of the LAPD were exonerated from assaulting Rodney King.
There is a long and rich gun control history in the United States. Every single piece of that history is based in bigotry, bias, hate, control and segregation.
Gun control is a racist act. Period.
Why can’t we learn from other countries which have already solved this problem, such as Australia, Japan, Great Britain? There are solutions that work, and there are some very fishy reasons why Americans resist adopting those solutions. As always, wonder where the money trail leads – – who benefits from selling more and more guns?
Aside from that, we need to address the factors that cause anyone to feel the urge to go out and murder as many people as possible. Not only mental health in general, but the outcomes of childhood neglect and abandonment, and the causes and outcomes of inadequate parenting skills need to be examined and addressed. The effects of video games that reward killing and the endless hours of watching mind-numbing violence on TV and in movies are no doubt contributing factors. The focus on mobile phones, which isolates parents from interacting with their children, and then teaches the children to isolate from other human beings, these are contributing, too. The current administration’s active support of hate groups and violence toward minorities has also unleashed many killer demons.
There are probably many more cultural factors that increase the insanity that is the compulsion to go out and kill. We need to stop playing soccer with these issues, and instead get focused, study up on root causes, do some outside-the-box problem-solving, and implement some serious cultural change. This isn’t a simple problem and there isn’t a simple solution.
“Were fortunate were one of the safest states in the country, and I believe our gun laws are balanced,” the first-term Republican said Thursday afternoon. “They balance public safety with our rights.”
I agree with Scott and Sears.
If you want to do something useful, build more mental health facilities. If you’re not willing to pay for that, install metal detectors at all schools and hire full time security. Schools are by law designated as gun free zones which make them targets for crazy people intent on getting their “day in the spotlight”. It’s not rocket science people.
The Governor say we need more shooting drills in schools?
The kids in Florida had so many drills, they thought the actual shooting was a drill.
I am curious; how much money has the NRA given to the Governor and his campaign?
I voted for Scott but I am done voting for republicans. I am horrified that children have shooting drills in schools. Why does the governor or any other sane person think it’s okay for children to go through mass shooter drills? These drills are as horrifying as the nuclear bomb hiding under desks in school drills of the past. Everyone thought those ridiculous and useless drills made sense but now we know better. Or so I thought. Has everyone gone stark, raving mad?
The most dangerous weapon on Earth is the deranged human mind intent on killing and harming others.
Maybe it’s time to start controlling the animate element to ‘gun violence’ instead of blaming, demonizing, and stigmatizing the inanimate firearms themselves?
If you value gun rights more than you value the rights of American children to grow up in safety and peace, you are part of the problem. If you think it’s okay to require children to regularly prepare for mass shootings, you are part of the problem. If you believe we ought to be arming every civilian with military assault rifles, you are part of the problem.
All of the GOP politicians’ useless thoughts and prayers after each mass shooting is shameful, disgusting, and insulting. Every other civilized country manages to have sane gun laws including Canada, right next door. They have plenty of guns, but they screen out crazies and racists so shootings are extremely rare. The NRA bought the republican party and terrorizes our politicians. We need to take our government back and give back to our children the safety and peace they deserve.
Sometimes people speed on the highway and get away with it. Well, I guess that means we should get rid of laws against speeding.
And addressing this problem by giving kids more practice hiding from shooters!!!? This is just crazy. These are not tornadoes we’re talking about. These are not extreme weather conditions. They are PEOPLE who got hold of GUNS. We need to do far more than teach kids how to hide better!
Love your children more than you love your guns.
Police arrested a 18-year old man yesterday and charged him for attempted murder in planning an attack on Fair Haven Union High School.
The constitution gives people guns to hunt dangerous or delicious animals, in case the King of England comes knocking, to control their slaves, and to kill buffalo so “Indians” starve (or to just kill “Indians”). At some point since then, something changed.
Governor Racecar Moonbeam earlier: cut school costs, we spend too much money!
Governor Racecar Moonbeam, now: spend more money and time on security and safety drills!
The constitution does not “allow” us anything. It is a guarantee, a statement of our claim to our god given birthrights and a restriction on the government “We The People” allow to exist.
Moses came down from the mountain carrying two tablets and an assault rifle to protect them.
All I know is that the dead are still dead, and those people mourning their loss will never totally recover. The anguish and the pain will go on. For what? You can have all the drills in the world, it wont keep you safe. You can arm yourself to the teeth, but that wont keep you safe. Everyone can sit around with their idea of the solution and who is to blame, but that isnt going to keep you safe either. One by one they are coming for you, and politians who say inflammatory things, and promote a world where it is acceptable to hunt and degrade people that they dont like with absolutely no thought of accountability means that there will be no stopping this problem.
Vermont experienced it’s very own case of a troubled student publicly threatening to murder others in the South Burlington High School, an act which had the community on edge for weeks; AND, that perpetrator was just quietly let off with probation and time served after receiving numerous ‘second chances’ after violating conditions of release and getting kicked out of his Howard Center treatments for disrupting the facilities and setting off ‘stink bombs’; and we the Public, and likely law enforcement as well, still know nothing about his mental state or what psychotropics he may be on because his personal and medical ‘privacy rights’ that he’s hiding behind seemingly outweigh our collective right to public safety.
That’s what needs to be changed first.
JimM, you keep hugging that AK. Your love for that inanimate killing weapon makes it easier for others to use it to kill.
He is a part of the problem, he is mentally ill all politicians should undergo mental health counseling in order to run and stay in office!
Dear Governor Scott: We are one of the safest places in the nation until we aren’t. And then, it’s too late.
Senator Sears: Does one of the female members of your family have to be murdered with a gun before you understand you are putting all women in Vermont at risk by stopped the vote on confiscation of weapons from those involved in domestic violence? If you wait until then, it will be too late.
And to all of you: instead of having security guards in the state house, why don’t you just have more drills?
As John Cassidy noted in The New Yorker, “America’s failure to protect its children is a national disgrace.” And as David Boggs, a teenage survivor of this week’s massacre pointed out “We’re children. You’re the adults.” Our political leaders have barrels of blood on their hands. They cower in cowardly fashion blaming mental illness when the blame is all their own. They adhere mindlessly to a perverted reading of the second amendment rather than protecting public safety responsibly like every other country in which slaughter like this does not happen over and over. And pretending that Vermont is a bubble is as reckless as doing nothing once again.
The endless diatribe from the people so simple minded that they can’t pull anything else out of a tragedy like this except “we gotta get the guns” is tiring beyond belief but also an outstanding example of the dire need to always remain vigilant against this kind of blatant ignorance.
As we’ve moved on through the decades there have been more and more restrictions on our right to defend ourselves and the horrific acts like this have only increased in parallel. But we are supposed to buy the story that even more restrictions will somehow change that.
It makes you wonder if people can really be so ridiculously naive as to believe with all honesty that further, unlawful restrictions on other peoples rights will make any difference at all in these situations. It makes it even harder to wonder what ulterior motive these people and the groups they belong to have. Someone commits mass murder with fire, it’s the lunatic that did it. Someone commits mass murder with a rental truck, it’s the lunatic that did it, Stabbings- same, Pressure cookers- same, fertilizer bombs-same. But when the instrument is a gun, the person that did it ceases to even exist. It’s all about the instrument. Not the cause, the motive, the potential influence of horrific pharmaceutical drugs that derange peoples minds, societies that just won’t leave other people alone to live their lives until they drive them to the edge… No, the black metal thing did it.
People just can’t be this blatantly stupid on such a massive scale, so there must be an ulterior motive.
Emotional decision making seldom leads to good outcomes. The “we must do something” crowd have no realistic solution and refuse to accept that evil deeds are impossible to stop with legislation.
James, this is non-emotional response to the Colombine, Sandy Hook, Orlando, Santa Barbara, and Las Vegas massacres. We were told it was too soon at the time.
A_Trout Funny how you don’t mention even one of the other tragedies where the instrument of mass death wasn’t a gun. I guess those lives don’t mean a thing to you? Where are your emotions for them? No soapbox to stand on or drum of righteousness to beat on their behalf I guess.
James, you seem emotionally attached to weapons used by terrorists. When you have calmed down and are thinking rationally, let’s look over your ideas on keeping weapons used by terrorists readily available. I’m sure they are good.
So what has Taylor Dobbs, Paul Heintz and Seven Days left out in their epic quest for National Enquirer status?
Aside from anything even slightly resembling actual journalism Other news outfits, instead of assaulting their governors hardly minutes later than the bodies hit the ground, trying to insure no good tragedy is wasted, have actually reported on the person responsible for this tragedy.
The FBI admits it completely failed to do anything, anything at all, about direct reports that Nikolas Cruz (not his gun) was going to do something horrible. They had this information over a month prior and did NOTHING.
Nikolas Cruz (Not his gun) had an apparent history of mental illness and violent, sadistic behavior.
Nikolas Cruz (Not his gun) was supposedly distraught after the medical/hospital industry apparently killed his otherwise healthy mother just a few months ago.
Nikolas Cruz (not his gun) has very apparent vaccine/brain & nervous system damage and WAS on pharmaceuticals with god knows what side effects.
Deputies were called to the home of Nikolas Cruz (not his gun) 39 times over seven years for all manor of violent and sadistic behavior problems. Yet another ball dropped. Probably no revenue in it for them. There are speeding tickets to right and vehicles to be illegally searched to make sure there is no plant matter in them.
So, Taylor/Paul/Seven Days No opinions on this at all? Doesnt suit the gun banning/rights infringing agenda? Just couldnt care less?
Fascinating to watch people defend gun ownership, refuse to set any limits (which would be described as bad parenting in another context) because of their emotional attachment to the 2nd Amendment. I guarantee that the founders did not foresee and want automatic weapons being brought into schools.
The republican party touts itself as being pro-family, pro-morality, and conservative, when in fact it is actually anti-family since it supports everything that harms families, anti morality with it’s defense of pedophiles and rapists, including the pussy grabber in the White House, and is certainly not conservative as they seek to pillage every natural resource possible and conserve nothing.
It’s time to call the republicans what they are…pro violence, pro greed, pro destruction. Gov. Scott, this is directed at you. What are YOU doing to make Vermonters safe from violent psychopaths?
The AR 15 has been available for public purchase since 1964. Its our culture that is promoting these kinds of tragedies. Every time this happens it sets a precident for a new normalcy and creates a new reality where this kind of thing is not only condoned it is expected.
one needs only to turn on your TV to view the level of violence directed at our population as a normal part of every day life. Shows such as “vikings” which never would have been on the air 20 years ago are now viewed by kids who think nothing of watching people bruatally murdered by people with no remorse.
its no surprise that some people in our society take this to the heart and act out what they see as some form of retribution to being isolated or somehow alienated from other people or whatever the reason.
while yes- these guns with quickly changeable magazines are something that is not helping- the bigger causation in my opinion is the continuing desensitation to violence. Even as our society actually gets less violent as a whole
Dear Gov.Scott –
Have you ever experienced an active shooter drill with young kids? I suggest you go to the nearest elementary school and huddle in the dark quiet classroom with kids too scared and too young to understand what is going on. And then explain to them that instead of doing something to prevent their possible deaths from an angry white male with an assault weapon, you would rather they practice hiding and cowering in a dark classroom in the hopes that should someone come into their school shooting, they will survive.
Practice drills do nothing to prevent someone with an agenda and an assault rifle from going into a school and shooting. We need action. From people like you. How fortunate you are that you are surrounded by security and well protected from guns. The rest of us are not. No wonder you dont care.
Elaine Morse- You are surronded by white males with guns in Vermont!
You need to flee immediately for your safety
I suggest a democratic city
one that cares about keeping its citizens safe
Perhaps West Oakland, CA or South Chicago, IL
Not many white men with guns there.
It must be safe
Solid B+ for trolling, snowcreek. You just about nailed all the good stuff. Would have given you a A+ if you had found a way to work ‘snowflake’ into it. Regardless, you’ve done well and added great depth to the commentary, and as with your other comments, you’ve kept it classy. Remarkable ability.
I just can’t believe our Gov. Scott said this”
“Were fortunate were one of the safest states in the country, and I believe our gun laws are balanced,” the first-term Republican said Thursday afternoon. “They balance public safety with our rights.”
Rather than limiting access to firearms, Scott said the state should focus on providing more training and drills in schools so that staff and students can prepare for active-shooter situations.” He is living in the past and cites incorrect information.
We need Phil Baruth to run for Gov instead
A_Trout – I am sorry-Is my satire to much for your delicate sensibilities to handle?
So sorry to inform you of the realaties of our nation- that our democratic strongholds are crime ridden hell holes
Ever been to West Oakland or South Chicago? I have. Have you?
Perhaps its your ignorance that causes you to be outraged
i am totally pro gun but it doesn’t matter because the united states has already made an agreement with that amazingly great UN to take our guns. go to the un web page its all there hidden in a nuclear disarmament agreement. hidden all over the place it talks about how it will happen and it has begun. news flash there are way to many to get even half of them. the ones left will be in the bad guys arms or worse it will start a war in our own borders and then children will be dyeing all the time. Americans will not give in to this trash government. china general said it best we cant fight them on there own soil there will be a gun behind every blade of grass. and nothing has changed so sit back and wait cuz its not going to get any better. if all you people worried more about your own children giving them discipline instead of coddling them things would change. every one is so worried about offending someone.
To all the people who are calling for even more restrictions in firearms. I would like to offer a challenge. Debate me on this subject. I am thinking we could do a 1 or 2 hour debate at the statehouse, put it on a video station and reported in all the news organizations. This offer is open to any one including legislators the general public or members of any gun control organization. I would do this at any time that would be convenient to you.
Ed Cutler
President
Gun Owners of Vermont
FTK – The ignorant, simple minded endless diatribe of people who use the chant of our rights, our rights as an excuse to do absolutely nothing in response to these continued tragedies is indicative of someone so small minded, intellectually lazy and bound up in extreme right wing ideology that they arent interested in solving a problem, just in pushing their infantile, irrational mindset on the rest of society. There is a balance to everything and its time to balance the rights of the hillbilly, gun crazed culture of some against the rights of others to not be shot and killed. I know that may be really tough for you to comprehend and its hard to believe that one could be so blatantly stupid but, that would seem to be the case.
Who cares if Kim Jong-un gets a nuke? Nukes dont kill people, PEOPLE kill people.
… see how stupid that sounds?
Seatbelts dont prevent all deaths either. Should we discontinue our enforcement? And do we really, as a society, think that our teachers and children should have to learn how to deal with mass shooters better just so a few weapons makers can get richer and continue to bribe our politicians? Thats your answer Mr Scott? Seriously?? This mans comments are sophomoric at best and show a clear lack of understanding of the issue and a lack of compassion for those affected by this misuse of money and power.
No Sharon. It goes nukes [guns] don’t kill people. Chuck Norris kills people.
The best Phil Scott could come up with is school children and their teacher need to practice more active shooter drills? i cannot conceive that statement as the best solution to the problem because it is incredibly ignorant… and short sighted… no suggestions on how to keep a killer from getting the guns in the first place… an excellent example of what is wrong with politics today- the politicians. poor form Governor.
You really want a solution to the societal ills we currently experience? Here’s one for you. Stop treating children as if they can do no wrong. Stop teaching them there are no consequences for their bad behavior. Stop telling them that they can succeed with no effort. Stop coddling them as if everywhere in the world is their own person safe space. Stop allowing them to be babysat by electronic devices while their parents noses are stuck to a screen of yet another electronic device. Stop allowing them to play extremely violent first person shooter games. Stop allowing them to watch any and all videos/movies they feel like watching. Stop desensitizing them to graphic violence. Let them fail. Stop with the participation trophy mentality our society has developed! To fail is learn to get back up and DO SOMETHING! Rather than roll into a little snowflake ball and weep until someone comes along to pick you up. Teach them the value of the word no! And here, you’ll love this one, beat their asses when they need/deserve it! Stop letting them whine their way out of situations. What the hell do you think is going to happen to them when they reach the real world or get close to it and see that not everyone is a winner. Not everyone can be successful at everything. What a serious disservice our current system of family/education/justice does for these young people!
There are already gun laws in place and have been for years. But yet, the shootings still continue to happen. Even more shooting happen in Chicago where the guns laws are more strict, but yet the shootings continue. Any new law will not change anything since criminals don’t obey laws, that’s why they are criminals. We have a smart society so lets put our brains together, put away the political BS and party affiliations and find a real working solution. For starters, how about a controlled entry point at schools with security present.