Friday, 01 November 2024

GOP Governor Allows Legislation Banning ‘Ghost Guns’ To Become Law Without Signature

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Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, has allowed legislation that prohibits the possession and transfer of unserialized firearms, commonly referred to as 'ghost guns,' to become law without his signature.

According to the Associated Press, the bill “requires serial numbers on firearms that are privately made with individual parts, kits or 3D printers.”

The legislation also bans the possession of a firearm at or near any polling place, The Reload noted.

“As a public safety measure, I agree firearms should be serialized, which is why I’m allowing this bill to become law despite some concerns about its practicality and impact,” Scott wrote in a letter explaining his decision.

“Again, while my concerns on the practical impacts and enforceability keep me from signing this bill, I’m allowing it to go into law because I understand the fears behind access to untraceable firearms and respect the effort to tailor the scope and exceptions to limit impact for law abiding citizens,” Scott wrote.

The Reload reports:

Scott’s action delivers another win for gun control advocates in a state with traditionally permissive gun laws. Once in effect, it will make the Green Mountain State the 14th to adopt restrictions on so-called “ghost guns.” It will also bring new gun-carry restrictions to a state that has never even required a permit to carry a firearm, the only such state in the country.

A Republican in a deep-blue state, Scott has played ball with progressive lawmakers on gun policy in recent years. Despite vetoing more bills than any other Governor in Vermont history, he has signed or otherwise allowed various gun-control measures, including ammunition magazine bans, universal background checks, and gun sale waiting periods. He extended that streak Tuesday by voicing support for regulating homemade gun hobbyists.

“As a public safety measure, I agree firearms should be serialized,” he said.

However, Scott critiqued lawmakers’ decision to make “mere possession” a crime under the law. He also questioned whether the bill would do anything to materially decrease violent crime in the state.

“Over the last decade, as anti-policing policies increased and criminal accountability has steadily decreased, violent crime has grown in Vermont,” Scott wrote.

“This is why I believe we should instead focus on measures that will reverse these trends over those, like S.209, that are unlikely to have any measurable impact on violent crime,” he added.

From the Associated Press:

Supporters of the measure in the Democratic-controlled Legislature have said it’s critical for Vermont to keep the weapons out of the hands of people who aren’t allowed to have firearms. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed last month to take up a Biden administration appeal over the regulation of the difficult-to-trace ghost guns.

The law in Vermont, a politically liberal state that also has a strong gun and hunting culture, includes penalties ranging from fines to prison time depending on the offense. A person who carries a firearm that lacks a serial number while committing a violent crime would face up to five years in prison, a maximum fine of $5,000, or both.

Chris Bradley, president of the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, said last month that the legislation is a tax on law-abiding gun owners who would have to get a gun serialized and undergo a background check.

The measure also prohibits guns at polling places. The secretary of state’s office, in consultation with the Vermont League of Cities and Towns and the Vermont Municipal Clerks and Treasurers Association, also is required to report to the Legislature by Jan. 15 on options for prohibiting firearms in municipal and state buildings, including the Statehouse, which some Republicans fear would lead to further gun restrictions.


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