MONTPELIER, Vt. — A gun-control group committed to universal background checks was the third-largest spender on lobbyists at the Vermont statehouse this quarter, outspending many of the biggest corporate interests in the Green Mountain State.

Gun Sense Vermont, a recently formed group that bills itself as an “independent, grass-roots organization started by Vermonters,” spent $39,000 for lobbyists for the quarter ending July 25, according to records kept by the Secretary of State’s Office.

The anti-gun group outspent Anheuser-Busch ($34,950), Comcast ($21,000), Altria ($26,674) and Green Mountain Power ($32,880). Only Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee ($45,000) and Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems (47,349) had more cash on hand to influence lawmakers.

Gun Sense Vermont President Ann Braden, a transplant from Connecticut, announced in May the group would focus on a single issue during the 2015 legislative session: universal background checks for firearms sold in the state.

http://watchdog.org/164758/vermont-gun-control/