Senate Committee Advances Burlington Charter Amendment Banning Firearms on Premises That Serve Alcohol

A Senate committee advanced a charter amendment aimed at banning the knowing possession of firearms on premises licensed to serve alcoholic beverages in the city of Burlington, sending the measure to the full Senate by a 3-2 committee vote.

The amendment, presented as S.131, would add a new section to the City of Burlington charter prohibiting a person from knowingly possessing a firearm on premises licensed to serve alcohol, with specific exceptions for certain license types, government officers acting in the scope of their duties and other limited circumstances. The proposal would allow either criminal penalties — a fine of up to $1,000 or imprisonment for up to 90 days — or civil penalties between $200 and $500 for violations, language that the counsel explained is being placed in state law rather than an ordinance.

The committee discussion focused on how the ban would interact with Vermont license categories and temporary permits. Legislative counsel Tucker Anderson walked the committee through the operative language, saying the measure “supersedes 24 V.S.A. sections 2291(8) and 2295” to authorize the city to regulate possession and carrying of firearms under the proposed charter section and reading the penalty range into the…