Vermont bill would take guns from suspected abusers

MONTPELIER - Gun bills often fall flat at the Vermont Statehouse. When Burlington voters tried to pass a local law in 2014 allowing police to remove guns from people suspected of domestic abuse, the Legislature scuttled the measure on constitutional grounds.

Three years later, the idea has been revived by Rep. Maxine Grad, chairwoman of the House Judiciary Committee. Grad's bill, H.422, would allow police to temporarily remove any gun from a person arrested on suspicion of domestic assault, even if the gun wasn't directly involved in the crime.

Advocates for domestic violence victims say they need more time to plan for safety during the volatile time immediately after an abuser has been arrested. Guns would be returned after five days, unless the owner is not permitted to have a gun.

"I think of myself as a defender of the Second Amendment. I truly believe in that individual right. But this to me isn't about guns, per se," said Rep. Chip Conquest, D-Newbury, vice-chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. "It's about protecting people at a time when we know they're particularly vulnerable from a weapon that we know is often used."

Read more: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/politics/2017/03/16/vt-bill-would-take-guns-suspected-abusers/99035146/