[G]ov. Phil Scott said Thursday he is open to gun control legislation, including a measure calling for universal background checks before the private sale of firearms, which is set for a Senate vote next week.
Prior to last week’s school shooting in Florida and a thwarted attack in Vermont, such legislation appeared to have little chance of advancing. Neither the Democratically controlled Legislature nor the Republican governor seemed inclined to make the legislation a priority this session.
Scott’s comments came as Democratic leaders pushed for that measure as well as others, and as high school students spoke out in the Statehouse for increased protections against firearms.
“I’m not necessarily opposed to it at this point in time. There was a time when I was,” Scott, speaking Thursday at his weekly press conference, said of universal background checks.
“Again, I’ve evolved on this. Where I was a week or two ago has changed completely,” he said.
Ed Cutler, president of Gun Owners of Vermont, called all the recent talk about gun control legislation a “feeding frenzy.”
“Hopefully, Phil is standing by his word to us,” Cutler said in interview Thursday. “He told us no new gun control. That’s why we supported him to begin with.”
Scott said the experience of reading an affidavit last week describing a Vermont teenager’s plan to shoot up a Vermont school changed the relationship between guns and politics, at least in his mind.
“I have a huge responsibility as governor to keep Vermonters as safe as possible,” Scott said. “And this is an area, regardless of the political fallout, that I think is the path forward to keep Vermonters safe.”
Scott declined to say whether he would sign a universal background check bill if it landed on his desk.
“If they put it through the Legislature I’m willing to listen and talk,” he said. “I’m not putting any lines in the sand. I’m not saying that I wouldn’t support it in the end. But we’ll see what it looks like.”
Moments earlier, Democratic leaders of the House and Senate as well as Democratic Attorney General TJ Donovan and Progressive Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman spoke at their own Statehouse press conference.
“We’re here to talk about guns and, when it comes to guns, doing nothing is no longer an option,” Donovan said.
Donovan, Zuckerman, Senate Pro Tem Tim Ashe and House Speak Mitzi Johnson all spoke out in favor of universal background check legislation.
The bill, S.6, would require background checks on all gun sales in Vermont. Existing law does not require a seller in a private sale to check the buyer’s record on the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
The lawmakers also voiced support for S.221, a bill that would establish a procedure for law enforcement to restrict some people temporarily from possessing firearms if the person is deemed a serious threat.
Ashe said at the press conference that he is expecting to see a “hybrid” bill made up of provisions from S.221, and H.422, which would allow police to confiscate guns immediately in domestic disputes and then hold the firearms for five days.
And an amendment to another piece of legislation would then add language from S.6, the universal background check measure, Ashe said.
The Senate president said a vote on the legislation will take place next week.
Like Scott, legislative leaders say they were also jolted by the chilling allegations in court records describing the school shooting plot police said they uncovered in Fair Haven last week before it could be carried out.
And, they said, Vermonters have been reaching out to them, too, helping to prompt action.
“When we hear constituent calls saying they’re worried about their kids going to schools safely, they’re worried about the texts they are going to get, it is hard for us to sit back and think we have done enough,” Ashe said.
House Speaker Johnson said that conversations with constituents have changed over the past week.
“People that I never thought would step forward and say, ‘Wow, this can happen in Vermont,’ are coming forward and saying we need to do something,” Johnson said. “I think the conversation is changing because Vermonters are speaking up and saying the conversation needs to change.”
Minutes later, speaking at the same podium, Vermont high school students had their say.
Organizers estimated more than 80 students took part, many holding signs. Messages on the signs included “#neveragain,” “Mr. President, Why do I not feel safe in my school,” “Gun Laws Save Lives,” and “Guns don’t die, people do.”
“We are angry, terrified and fed up with the crisis our country is facing,” Nadia Scoppettone, a junior at Montpelier High School, said. “We will not accept the lax guns laws present today that continually allow for tragedies such as Columbine High School, Sandy Hook, and more recently the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.”
Emma Harter, 17, also a junior at Montpelier High School, said that it seems as if lockdown drills are becoming part of the curriculum.
“This should not be normalized,” she said. Then, addressing lawmakers, she said, “You have the legislative ability to remove the fear from our schools and remove the distraction from our education. We demand that you do so.”
Cutler, president of Gun Owners of Vermont, said there is already enough legislation on the books in Vermont regulating firearms, and he termed the latest proposals ineffective.
He said the plot in Fair Haven was foiled by law enforcement using existing laws, and the suspect is currently behind bars.
Cutler did say he expected both the House and Senate to pass some form of universal background check legislation, as well as other gun control measures.
Ultimately, he said, it will come down to whether such legislation gains the approval of Scott, who Cutler said received the support of gun-rights groups in the last gubernatorial election.
Asked if he believed Scott would support the measures, Cutler replied, “I don’t know. Phil is Phil.”
Scott said last week he was “jolted” by the details of the investigation that led to the arrest of Jack Sawyer, 18, of Poultney, who police said threatened to cause “mass casualties” at Fair Haven Union High School.
Sawyer is being held without bail after pleading not guilty to four felony charges, including attempted first-degree murder.
Speaking at his weekly press conference Thursday, Scott said he realizes that he upset some people and supporters.
“No doubt about that,” the governor said. “Again, I have a tremendous responsibility here and when you become governor you have to take risks in terms of trying to protect Vermont in any way you see fit, and in this case I think we need immediate steps and a pathway I think is achievable.”
In a memo to lawmakers, Scott also suggested several actions to keep schools safe and reduce violence, some of which require the Legislature to act, and others the administration can begin.
“All of these action items, and those you may offer, require teamwork to help reduce the risk of violence in our communities,” the memo to legislators said.
The proposed actions included:
- Conducting security assessments of all schools in the next several weeks.
- Providing $5 million in grants that can be used for new security upgrades at schools, including money for video monitoring, badge access systems and school resources officers.
- Engaging the media by asking the Vermont Press Association and the Vermont Association of Broadcasters to collaborate on a public service announcement highlighting the importance “see something, say something.”
- Exploring shield laws to protect the anonymity of those who speak up with information about potential violence.
- Banning “bump stocks” that convert legal firearms to illegal automatic weapons.
- Considering increasing the age requirement for purchasing guns to 21, with an exemption for anyone who is “trained member of the military, a law enforcement officer, or who has completed an accredited firearms safety course.”
Earlier in the day, Sen. Dick Sears, D-Bennington, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that he’s hearing from many constituents who say they are “fed up” and are demanding action from lawmakers.
Speaking during a committee session taking testimony on S.221, Sears said Thursday he’s seeing a “major, huge sea change” in attitudes about gun legislation. People, Sears said, want to feel safe.
“There’s no constitutional right to feel safe,” Bob De Pina, vice president of Gun Owners of Vermont, responded to Sears. “There’s a constitutional right to protect yourself.”
De Pina urged committee members to slow down and not get caught up rushing to enact legislation that is being pushed in states around the country, but not fit for Vermont.
Sears replied that lawmakers have an “obligation to do the best we can” to avoid situations such as the mass shootings that have occurred at schools and other locations in the country. At the same time, the senator said, it’s important to be “respectful” of Vermont’s traditions when it comes to firearms.
Bill Moore, of the Vermont Traditions Coalition, also testified before the Senate panel on Thursday. He spoke out against what he called a “gun control frenzy swirling around us outside this room.”
Moore told panel members, “Bloody shirts and caskets are a poor foundation for good policy.”
Sears said he looked forward to working with gun rights supporters and others on the legislation, but added that on some specific issues, “We may never agree.”
