BURLINGTON — Amid the national discussion on gun violence following the Sandy Hook Elementary School murders, four Vermont mayors on Monday announced their support for stronger federal regulation of the purchase and possession of guns.
In a press conference at the Burlington Police Department, Mayors Miro Weinberger of Burlington, John Hollar of Montpelier and Thom Lauzon of Barre announced they have joined Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a national coalition that advocates firearm policy reform, to ask for changes to federal policy. Chris Louras of Rutland, who was already a member of the national group, has also pledged his support, though he was unable to attend the event.
The announcement comes on the heels of several high profile shootings across the nation in past weeks, and it comes one day before Vice President Joe Biden is expected to release a set of recommendations for federal gun reform.
“The time to act is now,” Hollar said.
All four mayors support strengthening regulations for gun sales, including closing loopholes for Internet and private gun sales, making background checks mandatory on all sales and compiling all records into a more robust system to check criminal and mental health history.
“The background check system is broken — it allows easy ways for dangerous people to purchase firearms,” Hollar said.
About 6.6 million guns are sold each year in the United States without a background check using loopholes within the system. Lauzon added that these unchecked transactions make up 40 percent of all gun sales in the country each year.
“We are convinced that fixing the national background check system is an area where the great majority of Vermonters, including the great majority of gun owners, can come together … to support reform,” Weinberger said.
Hollar also said the mayors are asking the federal government to make gun trafficking a federal crime, as he said the current system does not provide adequate punishment to those who are unlawfully transporting the weapons.
But opinions diverged when the mayors discussed whether they support a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. Weinberger has already voiced his support for a ban on these weapons in Burlington, and at a meeting last Monday the Burlington City Council passed a resolution in support of a ban in Burlington, setting in motion a process that could add the item to the city’s charter.
While Hollar supports a ban on assault weapons, Lauzon said he and Louras do not back a ban on the sale or possession of assault weapons or high-capacity magazines. Still, he said that disagreement should not preclude action on much-needed reform to federal background check requirements. “It doesn’t mean that we can’t stand together and say, ‘We can do better than we’re doing today.’”
Hollar said firearms can’t be primarily regulated at the state level, as many drug trafficking cases that cross state lines also involve firearm trafficking in and out of the state.
Burlington Chief of Police Mike Schirling agreed. “Increasingly over the last couple of years we’ve seen an element from outside of Vermont that is intent on trafficking in narcotics, and with that comes a gun presence.”
Schirling said 2012 also saw 34 armed robberies in the city of Burlington, a number he described as “unprecedented.” He said most firearm-related incidents in the city involve handguns, but that making sure that firearms don’t get into the wrong hands is the first step to reducing gun violence.
“Trying to be preventive is a lot more effective than waiting for a problem to emerge and then responding to it.”
Ian Galbraith, a longtime Burlington resident who opposes an assault weapons ban, and Burlington City Councilor David Hartnett, who voted against the ban last week, also spoke in favor of reforming the federal background check system. Galbraith said a more robust system of background checks would benefit law-abiding gun owners.
“I think that it would keep things free and legal for those of us gun owners who do honor our covenant of responsibility with society,” he said.
Ultimately, the mayors said they hope to add their voices to those nationwide asking the federal government to take a stand on firearm sales.
“This is a moment where change is possible,” Weinberger said. “There’s broad agreement, and whatever happens with the ban, we shouldn’t miss this opportunity.”
