Mental illness is a delicate subject, to say the least. There are multiple degrees of mental illness, from seasonal or situational depression, such as after losing a loved one, to more serious issues like schizophrenia and the like. They’re not treated the same way because they’re not remotely the same thing.
But a troubling bill in Vermont almost seems to ignore that distinction, while also creating other problems, all hidden behind something that would probably win bipartisan support in just about any state in the nation.
Confused? Don’t worry, it will make your brain hurt more when you understand what all is covered.
Representatives in the House Judiciary Committee have moved forward with a bill aimed at tightening gun regulations in Vermont, despite significant partisan divide. The committee approved the legislation, designated H.606, on Friday—meeting a critical deadline for bills to exit committees to remain viable for potential enactment.
The vote saw all six Democrats, including the committee’s chair, Rep. Martin LaLonde from South Burlington, backing the measure, while the five Republican members opposed it. A particularly contentious aspect of the bill seeks to prohibit individuals from purchasing or possessing firearms if they are under a current court order mandating outpatient mental health treatment.
Ahead of the vote, Rep. Zak Harvey, a Republican from Castleton, expressed frustration, stating he felt his concerns about the bill were ignored. He suggested that if the Democrats were willing to amend the provision, there would be bipartisan support for the bill. “I mean, think about that, Republicans supporting a gun bill,” he remarked. In response to his plea for compromise, Democrats remained resolute, leading to a party-line vote.
The proposed law also includes measures to make it a felony to steal a firearm, increasing penalties for repeat offenders. Another significant change would be the prohibition of owning or selling machine guns, along with accessories that can convert standard firearms into automatic weapons.
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Opponents of the bill, including Chris Bradley, executive director of the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, expressed concerns regarding potential infringements on Second Amendment rights. He argued that individuals assessed as safe for community living by the courts should retain their rights to gun ownership.
Let’s understand that the mental health aspect of this is really problematic. People might be mandated for outpatient treatment, but because they’re getting outpatient treatment, it’s pretty clear they’re not a threat to the general public. There’s no reason to take their rights away, particularly if they’ve never been confined to a mental health facility.
Further, while I’m not a lawyer and my reading of the bill might be inaccurate, it also looks like it completely bans not just things like bump stocks or auto-sears in the state, but even lawful machine gun ownership. Vermont doesn’t restrict NFA items as it currently stands, but this would seemingly do just that.
And yet, if they’d just stuck to increased penalties for gun theft, that’s something that I don’t think anyone would argue against. Stealing guns isn’t part of the Second Amendment, after all. Theft is already a crime, and considering just how expensive most firearms are, making it a three-year minimum for a second offense, as the bill does, would likely do a lot of good. I don’t think it would dissuade anyone, but it would remove them from society for a time, which is good enough.
But no, they had to make it a lot more problematic than that. Instead, they’re going the typical American Northeast thing of trying to demonize guns entirely and expanding the list of who can’t have one until, in time, no one can.
It starts with mandatory, court-ordered mental health treatment. Someone will try to expand it to those who get help voluntarily, and we all know it.
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