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Brady Campaign says Vermont gun laws worst in nation

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Brady Campaign says Vermont gun laws worst in nation

By BOB AUDETTE, Reformer Staff

Saturday, February 7

BRATTLEBORO -- Vermont's gun laws are so weak,
contended the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence,
that they lead to the illegal trade of firearms and put
children at risk.

In addition, the state's gun laws allow the sale of firearms
between individuals without background checks leading
to guns ending up in the hands of criminals, according to
a press release from the New England Coalition to
Prevent Gun Violence titled "Vermont Lacks Common
Sense Gun Laws."

In that report, Vermont was rated the worst state in the
nation for its gun laws.

Out of a possible 100 points, said Carrie Whittenberg,
spokeswoman for the coalition, Vermont received nine
points. New Hampshire and Maine were close behind with
11 and 12 points respectively.

Connecticut and Massachusetts were ranked third best in
the nation with 54 points and Rhode Island was ranked
seventh with 47 points.

"I would like to see zero points," said Ed Cutler, president
of Gun Owners of Vermont, based in Westminster. "The
report is pure rhetoric. What they're saying is because
Vermont has lax gun laws we have crime in the street
like nobody would believe (but) we're probably the safest
state in the whole country."

Cutler admitted Vermont gun laws are very lax. But, he
added, that's not a bad thing.

"That's the reason we are safe."

A spokesman for the Brady Campaign stated Vermont's
laws need to be stricter.

"Vermont continues to make it too easy for dangerous
people to get dangerous weapons," stated Paul Helmke,
president of the Brady Campaign, in a press release.
Vermont's gun laws also correspond to a high rate of
suicide in Vermont, said Whittenberg.

"Vermont has the highest firearm suicide rate in New
England," she said.

But, she admitted, that's not just because of lax gun
laws. It's also because residents of rural areas don't
always know how to get the help they might need or are
afraid to ask.

"People can be reluctant to bring up the topic."

Men are most likely to use a gun than women, who tend
to use pills, she said. Of those who use pills to attempt
suicide, five out of 100 succeed. But with guns, 91 out of
100 succeed, she said.

"Access to firearms is definitely a factor in suicides."

The coalition is also concerned about the dangers firearms
pose to children. Vermont, unlike other states, doesn't
have a law that mandates guns need to be locked in
homes with children, said Whittenberg. Just hiding them
somewhere in the house is not good enough, she said.
"Don't think for a minute that your kids don't know
where your guns are."

Whittenberg also said because the northern New England
states have liberal gun laws, many of them sold there
end up in southern New England.

In Vermont, there is no limit to the number of guns a
person can buy from a licensed dealer and those firearms
can be sold without a background check, she said.

"You could stand on a street corner and anybody who
came by you could sell them a gun," said Whittenberg.
That's just not true, said Cutler.

According to state and federal law, it is illegal for
individuals to sell guns to somebody they don't know or
who doesn't live in the same state. Selling firearms
across state lines can result in 10 years in federal prison,
he said.

He said state officials in Massachusetts have claimed guns
used in crimes in the Bay State are coming from New
Hampshire and Vermont. But, said Cutler, serial numbers
can be traced from manufacturer to dealer to private
owners and those guns are not showing up in southern
New England.

"The system works good."

The New England Coalition is not out to change laws or
make them more restrictive, said Whittenberg.

"Our main goal is to educate people."

Nor is the coalition against the ownership of guns, she
said.

"Our goal is gun safety, keeping dangerous guns away
from dangerous people."

The best thing you can do for your kids is to educate
them about how to handle firearms and what can happen
if they are mishandled, said Cutler.

"Satisfy that curiosity in a safe manner."

The state's biggest gun show, in Barre, is today and
Sunday. Most people who intend to sell guns at gun
shows, he said, are trying to sell them to licensed dealers
and not to each other.

"It's like trading-in a gun," Cutler said.

Licensed dealers at gun shops and shows are required to
perform background checks.

Vermont's scorecard results can be found at
www.bradycampaign.org. How points were awarded can
also be found at the Web site.

http://www.reformer.com/localnews/ci_11651357