[B]ENNINGTON — Despite questions about a firearms giveaway during a pro-gun rally and voter registration event Saturday afternoon, Republican candidate Kevin Hoyt is confident no state laws will be violated.
The event is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. on sidewalks around the Four Corners intersection in the downtown and continue until 5 p.m.
Hoyt has said he expects 1,000 or more participants from the area and wider region to attend.
Simultaneously, he said, there will be a voter registration table set up in front of the VFW post on North Street, where county residents will be able to fill out registration forms and receive tickets for a chance to win either an AR-15 Del-Ton carbine or an AR-10 Diamondback 308.
After notices and news reports described the event, an inquiry into the legality of the raffle was received at the Secretary of State’s Office, according to Will Senning, director of Elections and Campaign Finance with that office.
Senning said in an email this week that the Attorney General’s Office was notified, and he understood that Hoyt would be contacted concerning possible violations of law relating to raffles or games of chance.
Hoyt said that someone from the AG’s office did call and discussed his plans, and he now is confident the event will be legally run.
“As far as the legality goes, I know it is legal,” he said Friday. “I have been over it with the AG’s office.”
He said he also has spoken with Bennington Police Chief Paul Doucette about the firearm giveaways and about plans for the rally in general.
“I have never seen anything like this in my life,” Hoyt said, adding that as an outdoorsman and hunting guide he has been involved in many raffle events involving firearms, such as those held by a hunting or social club or other organization.
He did say, however, that he’ll have to be “super clear on the wording” involving giving away a voucher for the AR-10 Diamondback 308, for which he will be asking for a $5 donation.
A majority of the money raised will have to go to his nonprofit the Future of Hunting, he said, while the balance can be donated to his campaign fund.
Hoyt is a Republican running for one of the two seats in the Bennington 2-1 House district. The others at this point, pending the Aug. 9 deadline for any independent to file nomination papers, are incumbent Rep. Timothy Corcoran II, D-Bennington, and Democrat Chris Bates.
Charity R. Clark, chief of staff with the Attorney General’s Office, said Thursday she could not provide details concerning contact with Hoyt or concerning the rally, except that “we are aware of this and we are monitoring this.”
She said the office also had spoken with Doucette and was assured “safety concerns are being adequately addressed.”
Contacted Friday, Doucette said that “at this point, I don’t have any concerns about the rally.”
There was concern about how the guns would be given away, he said, but Hoyt explained that neither of the weapons would be present at the event, and that winning ticket-holders would be given vouchers to be redeemed at a local gun shop, the Trading Post on Northside Drive.
The chief also spoke with the manager at the store and was assured that all required backgrounds checks for ownership of a firearm will be conducted in each case.
“I believe he [Hoyt] is doing this correctly,” Doucette said.
Hoyt said every registered voter from the county will receive a free ticket for the AR-15, while tickets for the AR-10 will require a $5 donation, with a limited number of those being offered.
Doucette said a gun-rights rally at the Four Corners in April, after Gov. Phil Scott had signed new state gun control legislation, produced no incidents.
“They policed themselves,” he said, including having some offensive signs concerning the governor removed from the demonstration.
Hoyt has said several volunteers will provide security, as in ensuring that sidewalks are kept clear for pedestrians and in discouraging offensive signs.
Doucette said that as police chief he would urge participants not to bring firearms to the rally, as several did in April, but that Vermont law allows long guns or handguns to be openly carried.
The same goes for loaded versus unloaded weapons, the chief said. He would advise that no one carry a loaded gun, but said Vermont law has no prohibition.
As for traffic concerns around the busy intersection of Routes 7 and 9, Doucette said it already was expected to be heavy because of the HomeBrew Festival and Bennington Arts Weekend events. But he said rally participants and others should find places to park in nearby public lots.
Because of the multiple events scheduled, Doucette said additional police would be on duty or available if needed to respond to reports of problems. The department also could call for assistance if needed from the Vermont State Police and Bennington Sheriff’s Department.
Hoyt said he expects the rally to extend along sideways from the Depot Street-West Main Street intersection east to the Four Corners and also north on North Street to at least the VFW post.
