Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 12 april 2018

Vermont's Republican

governor signs new

gun restrictions

By WILSON RING plagued other parts of the
Associated Press country.
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — "This is one of those mo-
Vermont on Wednesday ments as a state when we
raised the age to buy fire- have the opportunity to
arms, banned high-capac- do things differently," Scott
ity magazines and made said.
it easier to take guns from Vermont's new gun laws
people who pose a threat are mild by some stan-
— the first significant gun dards. But they are part of
ownership restrictions in a trend of states passing
state history, signed into gun restrictions, prompt-
law by the Republican ed in part by the Florida
governor. mass shooting, said Robert
It's a remarkable turn- Spitzer, a political science
around for the largely rural professor at the State Uni-
state that traditionally has versity of New York at Cort-
refused to impose restric- land who has written books
tions on gun ownership. on gun policy.
Standing on the State- "There has been move-
house steps before a noisy ment in a number of states,"
crowd of hundreds gun Spitzer said. But Vermont is
rights activists and support- significant "because Ver- Vermont Republican Gov. Phil Scott with his wife Diana McTeague Scott by his side readies to
ers, Gov. Phil Scott signed mont is traditionally such a speak before signing the first significant gun restrictions bills in the state's history during a cer-
the bills into law. Supporters strong gun-rights state and emony on the steps of the Statehouse in Montpelier, Vt., Wednesday, April 11, 2018.
shouted "thank you," while has not moved in this di- Associated Press
opponents, many wearing rection in ages, if ever," he
hunter orange, shouted said. ple deemed dangerous to others," Rodgers said of just wrong in every sense of
"traitor!" and booed the While gun control advo- or prone to domestic vio- the legislation. the word."
governor. cates have praised Ver- lence, both covered by the But supporters of the restric- Victoria Biondolillo, 20, of
"This is not the time to do mont's new laws, the state's new legislation. But they tions say the time has come Barre, a University of Ver-
what's easy, it's time to do traditionally powerful gun fiercely oppose provisions in Vermont. mont student and Repub-
what's right," said Scott, rights advocates and in the laws that raise the "I think it sends a signal that lican Party activist, said
who continued to speak members of the outdoor age to buy firearms from the cultural shift ... is huge safety is paramount.
despite loud chants from community feel betrayed 18 to 21, restrict the size of in Vermont, and I don't "I think it takes a lot of cour-
the two sides. by Scott, whom many gun magazines and require think there is anything in age to stand up there
Scott, a gun owner, had supported during his 2016 background checks for these bills that are going to when people are scream-
urged the Legislature to election campaign. Dur- most private gun sales. take guns away from any ing at you," Biondolillo said
pass gun restrictions in the ing debate on the legisla- On Tuesday, a bipartisan law-abiding person," said of Scott. "It brought tears to
aftermath of what police tion, many firearms owners group of Vermont lawmak- Clai Lasher-Sommers, ex- my eyes how proud I am of
called a narrowly averted milled around the State- ers urged Scott to veto the ecutive director of the Gun our state that we can work
high school shooting in house halls wearing hunter bill that contains the provi- Sense Vermont, which was together on this."q
Fair Haven. Authorities said orange vests or hats. sions they find onerous. formed in the aftermath of
they learned a teen from "The tyranny of democracy Democratic State Sen. the 2012 elementary school
Poultney was planning to has overwhelmed the pro- John Rodgers, who rep- shooting in Newtown, Con-
kill as many people pos- tections of my constitution- resents a rural area of the necticut, that left 26 first-
sible. He was arrested and al, individual rights," said Bill state known as the North- graders and educators
charged Feb. 15, the day Moore, a firearms policy east Kingdom and spoke dead.
after a high school shoot- analyst for the Vermont fiercely against some of the During the signing ceremo-
ing in Parkland, Florida, that Traditions Coalition who gun restrictions, is consider- ny, gun rights supporter Ben
left 17 people dead. fought against the gun re- ing a run for governor. Tucker, of Tunbridge, con-
Scott said the incident strictions. "It will affect law-abiding stantly yelled at the gover-
proved to him that Ver- Gun rights advocates in the citizens while doing noth- nor.
mont isn't immune from the state generally support tak- ing to stop evil people and "This whole thing is wrong,"
school violence that has ing guns away from peo- criminals from doing harm Tucker said afterward. "It's