Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Committee examines proposal to ban firearm discharge within 500 feet of schools and day cares
Summary
At a Feb. 26 Judiciary committee meeting, witnesses and lawmakers debated a bill that would prohibit discharging firearms within 500 feet of school and child care buildings. Supporters said the measure addresses safety concerns; opponents and state police warned the bill as written is overly broad and difficult to enforce.
A Judiciary committee discussion Feb. 26 examined a bill that would ban the discharge of firearms within 500 feet of schools and child care centers.
The measure was prompted by testimony about an incident in Waterbury in which residents said firearms were being discharged from a problem property near a day care. "For the record, my name is Chris Bradley. I have the honor of representing the Vermont Federation of Sportsman's Clubs," Bradley said, and he told the committee his group represents about 50 clubs and roughly 14,000 members statewide.
Bradley told the committee he believes Waterbury already had local tools to address the problem and that a 500-foot buffer would be overly broad. He pointed to examples in his hometown of Northfield, saying the school district owns nine noncontiguous parcels totaling about 64 acres, and that Norwich University owns roughly 43 noncontiguous properties totaling…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
