A newly-released questionnaire filled out by Gov. Peter Shumlin last fall as he sought the National Rifle Association’s endorsement shows how little room there is between the gun lobby’s positions and his own.

In the 25-question endorsement survey filled out during his 2012 reelection campaign, Shumlin appeared to side with the NRA in all but one case: he disagreed that the mourning dove should be classified as a game bird — “not on principle,” he wrote in the margins, “but because Vermont does not have a viable hunting population of doves, and they are primarily found in backyards and roadsides.”

On every other issue, though, Shumlin was all in on gun rights:

Does he want to close the gun show loophole in Vermont? No.

Would he support a state ban on assault weapons or high-capacity magazines? No.

Does he support mandatory gun locks? No.

Does he believe Vermonters should be restricted to buying one gun a month? No.

Does he believe guns or gun-owners should be licensed in Vermont? No.

Shumlin’s answers help explain why he earned a 92 percent rating from the NRA last fall and a $2500 campaign donation. (Shumlin may have lost points for the ‘mourning dove’ question and for leaving two others blank.)

Seven Days has been seeking a copy of Shumlin’s answers to the survey since December 17, shortly after a gunman opened fire on a school in Newtown, Connecticut, killing 20 young children and six teachers.

Shumlin’s campaign manager said at the time she did not keep a copy of the questionnaire. The NRA did not respond to a request from Seven Days to provide it. But after the paper asked Shumlin this week to request a copy from the NRA himself, his staff obtained it and passed it along to Seven Days.

Here it is — after the jump:

Paul Heintz was part of the Seven Days news team from 2012 to 2020. He served as political editor and wrote the "Fair Game" political column before becoming a staff writer.

33 replies on “At Shumlin’s Request, NRA Releases Gov’s Endorsement Questionnaire”

  1. Yup. I only learned that recently, and I’ve done a 180 on the subject as a result. But we need to make it clear that it’s for this reason, not because of Vermont itself.

  2. Many of Vt.’s easy-to-get guns head to New York and Southern New England criminals. Often local drug addicts trade them for drugs. Gun show loopholes and universal background checks might reduce the amount of Vermonters that should not be buying guns, then trading them to drug dealers.

  3. Actually, the Second Amendment does NOT say a “well-armed” militia. It’s a “well REGULATED” militia. This seems to be a common misperception. And, yes, the Second Amendment (as all the amendments) was a compromise position to get the Constitution ratified. Having just undergone the revolutionary war, and being a country with no standing army, it certainly made sense at the time.
    I also respectfully disagree with you that the difference between, say, a Browning or Remington gas autoloader hunting-style rifle and a Sig Sauer Tactical or Bushmaster AR is merely aesthetic. Which is exactly why the military uses the AR style weapon. Shorter barrel, ease of switching firing positions (ie pistol grip), compatibility with high-capacity magazines, picatinny rail, etc.
    There is a very simple answer to why dudes want assault-style weapons – they look awesome. I’ll be the first to admit it – you feel like a huge badass with an AR in your hands, putting rounds downrange. But that’s not enough, IMHO, to outweigh the public safety aspect.

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