The Vermont legislature last week gave the final OK for a 24-hour waiting period for handgun purchases in the state. The legislation still needs to be signed by GOP Gov. Phil Scott; he has not indicated what he will do with the legislation one way or another.
Merry Shernock, a volunteer with the Vermont chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense America, says she became involved in the gun safety movement because of suicides that occurred in her village. “That’s the biggest gun problem we have in Vermont is suicide. And you know who’s at risk? Men. The male suicide rate’s very high because first of all men choose to use guns. Women do not. People who want to have a firearm it isn’t hurting them to wait 24 hours as much as it hurts an impulsive teenager.”
As of April 11, 2018, no one under the age of 21 can purchase a firearm in the state unless they're in the military, a police officer, or have passed a hunter education safety course. Any of those options takes far more time to complete than the 24-hour wait Shernock implies will help prevent teens from buying a gun to commit suicide.
When debating the efficacy of gun control laws, Vermont is a favorite case study. The state has a D+ from Gabby Giffords' gun control group because of its relative paucity of gun laws, yet its violent crime rate makes it the 2nd safest state in the nation. The disconnect between the weakness of the state's gun control laws (Vermont is also a constitutional carry state) and the lack of violent crime is something gun control advocates don't like to talk about. If guns are so ubiquitous, and more guns = more crime, then why is Vermont a safe state?
The answer is that demographics, culture, crime and a plethora of other factors contribute to crime. The answer isn't just "guns."
Vermont 2nd Amendment advocates point out that the proposed law may not have the wide-ranging effect that proponents claim.
Gun Owners of Vermont President Ed Cutler says their research found there were only four suicides in the past 20 years in the state in which someone bought a firearm and used it within two days. “Realistically it’s taking away a person’s right to self defense. They’re taking away their rights under Article 16. We have the lowest firearm death rate as far as violent crime. And it’s already illegal for a number of ways for people to do what these people are saying is happening. So there are already laws on the books.”
One suicide every five years. That's what allegedly prompted this new law.
The change in the law addressing a non-problem is reminiscent of California's change in their concealed carry law several years ago. Once California Democrats discovered that persons with a concealed carry license were allowed to carry firearms on school campuses, they quickly removed that provision from state law. In the 40+ years the exception was on the books, not a single concealed carrier had had a negligent discharge on school grounds, let alone precipitated a school shooting.
This law will do little to prevent suicides or other crimes, but it just may prevent someone from purchasing a firearm to defend themselves when facing a potentially imminent attack.
