Burlington voters on Town Meeting Day passed a city charter change that would place new restrictions on guns. But in order for the gun control measures to go into effect, the Vermont Legislature must approve the city’s request for a charter change.
Lawmakers are bracing for a vigorous debate.
But just how soon the Legislature will take up the charter changes remained unclear Friday. The Secretary of State’s office has not yet received the necessary documents from the Queen City.
Once the charter changes have been sent to the Legislature, Rep. Donna Sweaney, D-Windsor, said her committee, House Government Operations, will likely separate out the gun-related changes and tackle them later, perhaps next session.
“I’m not sure how long I could do the battle of the guns,” Sweaney said.
A fourth charter change, regarding Burlington ward redistricting, must be voted on this session, and could be treated as a separate bill, she said.
Vermont has among the most lenient gun laws in the country. Citizens can, for example, carry and conceal a firearm anywhere they want with just two exceptions: inside court buildings and schools. In most other states, conceal and carry is illegal or regulated.
The gun-control changes Burlington voters approved on Town Meeting Day would ban guns from any establishment with a liquor license, allow police to seize them after domestic abuse incidents and require firearms to be locked at all times.
Burlington voters passed the changes by a 2-1 margin despite heavy push-back from pro-gun groups.
Some lawmakers, including House Speaker Shap Smith, have said the charter changes conflict with a state law that prohibits municipalities from regulating firearms.
Meanwhile, Burlington lawmakers as well as those on both sides of gun control issues have called for legislators to take up the charter this session, before elections in November.
Sweaney said charter changes do not have to meet the Legislature’s mid-session crossover deadline, which was Friday.
Friday was, however, the deadline for Burlington to send the charter change documents to the Secretary of State’s office.
Burlington Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Scott Schrader said by email Friday afternoon that the charter documents had not yet been sent to the Secretary of State’s office.
He did not respond to a follow-up email asking if they would be sent later Friday.
The secretary will send the documents to the Attorney General’s Office and the Legislature, where they will be changed into bill form. Lawmakers typically rubber-stamp charter changes because they are not usually controversial.
