Hello.
Vermont's gun laws are the result of Governor Dean not supporting new
gun restrictions rather than relaxing old gun restrictions.
Vermont simply has never had restrictive gun laws and has never had
licensing requirements for concealed carry.
"Most states have various requirements for training and licensing for
concealed carry. The notable exception is Vermont, which has never had
any such restrictions in its history."
source: Wikipedia.org Gun Control
http://en2.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_control
"In fact, Vermont has never required a permit to carry concealed carry
weapons for any of its citizens since 1791... And in 1907, there was a
movement in Vermont to modify the constitution regarding its concealed
carry weapons law. It was also defeated."
Source: "Concealed Weapons" by Susan Hein, hosted by wpri.org:
http://www.wpri.org/WIInterest/Vol11No2/Hein11.2.pdf
Vermont's gun laws may be viewed at:
Attorney General of Vermont: Gun Laws
http://www.atg.state.vt.us/display.php?smod=21
I can find no indication that Dean "relaxed" any prior gun
regulations. Rather, Dean simply did not favor many new restrictions.
Reportedly, Dean only signed one gun bill while in office. That was a
bill that banned guns in schools.
From National Review magazine:
'The NRA does, in fact, give Dean a high rating. While most major
national media profiles of Dean tout this as proof that he's a
maverick Democrat, most local officials say the governor was simply
recognizing political reality in one of the most pro-gun states in the
country. (How passionate are Vermonters about their firearms? In 2000,
a state legislator introduced a bill that would require all residents
who do not own guns and who are eligible for military service to pay a
$500 fee "for the privilege of not owning a gun.") "To advocate gun
control in this state will get you run out of office," Speaker Freed
says. O'Donnell says the only gun bill that Dean signed as governor
banned guns from school grounds; the legislature passed it after the
Columbine shootings.'
source: National Review, hosted by findarticles.com
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m1282/15_55/105891466/p3/article.jhtml?term=
" The greatest firearm restriction imposed during Dean's five terms in
office was a 1995 law forbidding guns on schools grounds - not exactly
groundbreaking gun control.
While other governors targeted guns in response to school violence,
Dean asserted that better enforcement and stronger families were the
answer, not more laws."
source: Concord Monitor: Dean's gun control stance product of background
Friday, September 12, 2003 By RON FOURNIER, Associated Press
http://www.cmonitor.com/stories/news/politics2003/vt__dean_guns_2003.shtml
"As governor, Dean did not support any new gun control measures,
winning him the National Rifle Association endorsement.
But the Gun Owners of Vermont opposed him in his last two campaigns
after he refused to take a stand on whether the Second Amendment
confirms an individual's right to keep and bear arms."
source: Albany Times Union, "Dean doesn't have advantage at home" by
Marianne Means:
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=180603
Dean stated his position on Meet the Press:
"DR. DEAN: No. Different states are different. My state, we have no
gun control. We also have one of the lowest homicide rates in the
country. We're a rural state with a lot of hunters in it. Right? In
New York and New Jersey and California, they ought to have as much gun
control as they want. My position is this is a state issue. Keep the
federal laws. Enforce them vigorously. And then let every state decide
what they want. Because when you say gun control in my state, people
are going to think you're taking the squirrel rifle their parents gave
them away. When you say gun control in New Jersey and California and
New York, they say "Great. Let's get the machine guns and the handguns
off the streets." They're both right. So why can't each state decide
for themselves over and above the federal law what they want or don't
want? What the result will be, you won't get more gun control than
what you've already got in Wyoming or Montana and Vermont, and you'll
get a lot more in California and New Jersey. Fine."
source: Meet the Press - NBC June 22, 2003, archived on demog.berkeley.edu:
http://www.demog.berkeley.edu/~gabriel/dean2004blog/Dean_MTP_June_22_2003.htm
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search terms:
guns, "howard dean", vermont
"gun control", dean, vermont
vermont, "no gun control", dean
I hope this helps. |
