The state Senate appears to be on course to pass legislation requiring universal background checks for gun purchases. The prospect seemed distant only a few days ago, but news of a narrowly averted mass school shooting has shaken the political landscape.
A background check bill, S.6, is now before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Three of its five members are known to oppose the bill, including committee chair Dick Sears (D-Bennington), so he hasn’t brought it to a vote. But Sears says he is open to a procedural move allowing the full Senate to vote on the idea as soon as next week.
“I want to stay true to what I believe, but I don’t want to hold up something that may have majority support,” Sears said Wednesday. He added that he believes a universal background check bill would gain majority support in the Senate. “I think everything changed in Fair Haven, to be honest.”
Last Thursday, 18-year-old Jack Sawyer of Poultney was detained after two people informed police of disturbing behavior and text messages indicating he planned to carry out a mass shooting at Fair Haven Union High School. The police affidavit submitted in court was sobering in its detail.
Gov. Phil Scott reacted to the news with a substantial change in tone. Lawmakers heard from constituents over the weekend and returned to the Statehouse with gun issues suddenly atop everyone’s agenda.
Sears said his committee will pass one gun-related measure this week: S.221, which would allow police to seek “extreme risk” court orders for anyone who might pose an imminent threat to themselves or others. After obtaining such an order, police could remove weapons from the person’s possession.
Sears has no plans to bring the background check bill to a committee vote, but he would not object if other senators insert its language into a different bill through a floor amendment.
Senate Majority Leader Becca Balint (D-Windham) confirmed that leadership is working out the details of such a move, which would likely happen next week. When lawmakers returned to work Tuesday, she said, “It was clear that people who wanted universal background checks needed to know that leadership was committed to holding a floor vote.
“It’s gonna be a close vote,” she added, floating the prospect of Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman having to play tiebreaker. “I haven’t surveyed the caucus; we’re giving people a chance to process everything that’s happened.”
In just the past few days, she said, senators who were unsure have shifted in favor of a background check bill. Currently, federal law requires background checks at gun shops but not for private sales. The Senate would be voting to end that exception.
Sears remains personally opposed to closing the private-sale loophole, saying that it would “criminalize behavior that’s been going on in Vermont for 200 years.” But he sees the writing on the wall.
“I’d like to see it move over to the House, let them deal with it, and see where it goes with the governor,” Sears said.
Democratic House leaders appear confident that a background check bill — and Sears’ extreme risk order bill — would pass in their chamber. Scott has previously opposed universal background checks, but on Friday he indicated a new openness to gun legislation.
“The landscape has changed, the way the #MeToo movement changed the conversation around sexual harassment,” noted Balint. There’s widespread sentiment among lawmakers that taking no action on guns and safety would be unacceptable.
The question is no longer, “Will the legislature pass any gun bills?” It’s now, “Which gun bills will pass?”
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I really want to know which member of our legislature who was in favor of passing these ridiculous laws that will do nothing to make anyone any safer will be rounding up the criminals who are buying guns on the streets and who are stealing guns …to get there background checks
We do not have a gun problem in Vermont or the United States of America.
We have a drug problem that has been proven to drive these people to commit these terrible Acts against others who are forced to become sitting ducks in a gun-free zone while these people know full well they will meet no resistance when committing these disgusting Acts.
I guess maybe if we put more laws on the books about drugs it will end the drug problem
We need people in our legislature to begin to show us some common sense and not become a part of Michael Bloomberg’s agenda to disarm America
I encourage vermonters to do research on every candidate the runs for office Wetherbee under the golden dome in Montpelier or is a mayor or even a councilman it is time to vote these people out of office that do not respect their oath to the constitution of Vermont or the United States
Oh boy this is awesome. Besides the fact that these laws could save many lives (especially the extreme risk bill), I cannot wait to see how upset the gun nuts are going to be about this.
Big kudos to Sen. Balint and leadership for making sure these critical bills move forward.
Richard Ley – we’re coming for your guns. Next stop: Agenda 21 baby!!!
Any elected official knowingly participating in unconstitutional manipulation of our laws, is subject to criminal charges for those actions. Govern yourself accordingly.
OK EVERYONE call your Senators today and tomorrow and have them call you back. When they do tell them to vote NO on S 221 It might be going down to the senate floor next week. The number for the sergeant at arms is 802 828 2228. Remember to be polite and make sure to tell them you will not accept any restrictions to article 16th of our constitution. Do not put this off waiting for someone else to do it. Even if you know your senator is anti its important that you contact them numbers count. Cut and past this and put it anywhere you can. There will be a host of amendments to this bill and all of them have not had any hearings or comments. This is not the Vermont way.
Eddie Cutler, supporter of open and easy access to weapons of war. Loves his guns more than he loves his children. Your voice is impotent.
Eddi Cutler’s Vermont Way is Weapons for Everyone, no questions asked. Eddie Cutler’s Vermont Way is Carnage for Kids, no questions asked. Eddie Cutler’s Vermont Way is damn those kids, my rights shall not be infringed.
How are Universal Background Checks going to prevent the Mentally Ill and the psychotropically prescribed who haven’t yet committed crimes from buying and possessing firearms if they are not universally on any databases anywhere and continue to get to hide behind their HIPAA ‘privacy rights’ at the expense of the public’s collective right to safety? Why is there no call for mandatory reporting by mental health practitioners and prescribers to keep the public safe from their dangerous patients like we have when someone presents with a communicable disease that can harm others in the public or when children show signs and evidence of abuse?
“to prevent the Mentally Ill and the psychotropically prescribed who haven’t yet committed crimes”
Good lord. Its amazing we have people with such backwards thinking when it comes to mental illness.
Snow Creek: The same ‘backwards thinking’ as you call it has been used to deny, restrict, and ban the once guaranteed rights of law abiding gun owners and their inanimate firearms for decades, all in the name of public safety, and it hasn’t produced the desired results at all, as it’s the non law abiding doing all of the killing and maiming. What makes you think that banning SEMI-automatic rifles with pistol grips will make the mentally ill and criminally depraved not procure them and use them illegally any more? The citizens of Parkland Florida did everything they could; they Saw Something and they Said Something numerous times to authorities and School officials about the mentally ill and violent perpetrator in their midst, yet the Broward Sheriff, the School System, and the FBI did absolutely nothing on the follow-up because their hands were legally tied as he continued to hide behind his personal and medical privacy rights, absent breaking any serious laws, so they could confine him. That has to change and ideas like ‘extreme risk’ court orders are a good start to use against potential perpetrators; and one’s medical and psychological records and background should absolutely be part and parcel part of that decision making.
I’ve stated it before, that the most dangerous weapon on the planet is the deranged human mind intent on causing harm to others. That is what society needs to focus on next.
Snow Creek: Another thought, why is it i can read up on reports and official findings about the Newtown school and Aurora movie theater shootings and find out what what ammunition was used down to the grain weight of the bullets yet I can;t find out anything about what psychotropic medications they were on and was found in their systems?
I want to know what Bill our legislature will pass once they ban AR-15 and once they pass a law to take weapons from people without due process and once they pass stricter background checks in Vermont which is the safest state in the nation.
I know these do-gooders say they will put an end to suicide and to bad people getting guns and shooting other people but anyone with an ounce of Common Sense nose based on what we are seeing taking place in America the none of this is true.
We know the people that want to commit suicide commit suicide by police or by hanging or by cutting their wrist or any other methods they choose.
We even though the people that want to commit suicide drive cars and two other people not only killing themselves but killing innocent people along with them.
People that are hell-bent on achieving their goals however devious they are are going to do that in spite of the feel-good laws that are legislators pass.
When we allow our lawmakers to pass these laws it only diminishes our rights as Citizens in Vermont
Richard Ley, you keep worrying about something that MIGHT happen in the future. The rest of us are dealing with trying to keep our kids from dying right NOW. Get in line or get out of the way.
Richard Ley, eyes always on the ball. Worried about the future when some kid will have bionic hands that can murder 15 minutes and will we regulate it.
A_Trout… I am for protecting our rights regardless of what took place it is not right for someone to take my rights away
Get your warm fuzzy feeling now because this will do absolutely nothing to protect our children from the disasters and mentally ill people who want to cause damage to others
I’m out of the way I refuse to get in line like a sheep who is being led to his Slaughter…
I’ll stand back and watch the damage caused by the fools that are too simple to see what is happening and willing to give up their rights
I want to see you on here commenting when a criminal gets a gun and does his damage with no resistance because you have taken guns away from good people
When you take guns away from people what will be the next tool of massive destruction to others.. cars… oh wait they already use them don’t they
I guess would ever idiotic moves you use to try to claim you have solved the problem somebody will come up with an answer to those moves