Republican Gov. Phil Scott of Vermont signed a gun-control bill this week that extends the time between a delayed NICS background check and when a prospective buyer can take possession of a firearm.
Under federal law, a licensed gun dealer can legally transfer a firearm if the FBI has not made a background check determination within three business days. Under S.4, which was signed by Scott on March 25, a gun dealer in the state must wait an additional four business days before they can transfer the firearm.
Scott had previously vetoed a bill that would have given the FBI an unlimited amount of time to return a delayed background check, but signed this bill as part of a “compromise.”
SEE ALSO: ‘Traitorous’ Gov. Phil Scott Catches Hell While Signing Vermont Gun Control Bills
“Whenever the governor vetoes any measure, he always tries to, in the spirit of compromise, offer a path forward,” Scott’s press secretary, Jason Maulucci, told local media. “If the legislature follows that path, regardless of the political pressure, he honors his word and signs it.”
These and similar bills are justified by the so-called “Charleston loophole.” In 2015, a mass murderer and white supremacist tried to purchase a handgun even though he was federally barred from owning one. The gun was transferred to him anyway due to a failure by both local and federal officials to properly investigate the murderer’s background within the three-day window.
Anti-gun advocates claim that giving the FBI an unlimited amount of time to “complete” a background check will prevent these kinds of situations. They often fail to acknowledge that many of these delayed background checks are not due to criminal histories but mistaken identities and other administrative errors. Removing the time limit on background check completions could effectively eliminate the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans.
SEE ALSO: Anti-gun Vermont Governor Under Fire from the ACLU for Deleting Pro-Gun Facebook Comments
This isn’t the first time Gov. Scott has caved to the anti-gun lobby. In 2018, Gov. Scott signed a series of gun control measures to outlaw private gun sales, raise the legal age to buy a gun to 21, and ban the sale of magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition.
At the time, Gov. Scott said the Parkland massacre caused him to “have a change of heart” about gun rights.
“I recognize how hard it is for some to understand my change of heart on our gun laws, let alone come to the same conclusion I’ve reached — and that many who voted for me are disappointed and angry,” Scott said. “I understand I may lose support over the decision to sign these bills today, and those are consequences I’m prepared to live with.”
Scott won the gubernatorial election in 2020 and will be up for reelection in November.
HERE’S ANOTHER PROBLEM: ALOWING OUT OF STATE COLLEGE KIDS TO VOTE AND THEN THEY ABSENT TEE VOTE IN THEIR HOME STATE. I’M ALL FOR VOTER ID.
Just another RINO that needs voted out. They don’t comprehend that any gun control law only penalizes the law abiding citizen because criminals don’t care about laws. When was the last time any government agency successfully managed any program. Are we going to just trust everything they tell us and let then stuff it up our nose. Obviously that side is obsessed with stuffing their agenda up everyone’s nose.
Excuse me but… What exactly is this proving? What is being done to take the criminals with guns off the streets? NOT A DAMN THING! So the law abiding citizen takes it in the shorts AGAIN! You idiots just won’t learn! The only people you are hurting is the guy that follows the law to begin with! The guys on the other side could give a rat’s backside about it, they will pay cash for their illegal guns, and keep killing others while you morons bask in your own stupidity!
This stupid RINO, Gov. Scott, signed another gun control bill with zero credible evidence that it would do Anything other than move the Progressive-Socialists one step further along their anti-gun agenda.
Hey Scott, ya mowron, you cannot Ever “compromise” with these people!! That word does not exist in their vocabulary.
VT use to be a conservative libertarian state. The problem is it became the Winter playground of the rich in and pulled in all the young metro progressives. Over the decades it became a socialist libertarian state which morphed into a totalitarian socialist as it was consumed by national socialist ideologies. The military style rifle and mag ban was first and then this was inevitable. Handgun licensing will be next! There are no where near the numbers of old libertarian conservatives there anymore to oppose this. The socialists pack the metro style and values towns and cities. Progressive deep state Republican governors always betray American values because they are the kissin cousins of socialists.
Many years ago, I would go to VT on summer vacation annually. It was conservative then. That’s why it’s hard for me to comprehend what’s happened there, politically. Your comment sheds some light on that.
Phil Scott is acting like the lying RINO he is! Trump filled all his promises owed no one when he was elected and he was a business man and not a politician. But Americans could not stand prosperity so they elected a senile crooked old politician that had been a politician for his whole life and who owed every body to get elected. And now for the next four years the country will pay dearly for that decision.
Get rid of BERIE SANDERS as well.
Give an inch they will take a mile, Phil Scott nothing but a RiNO.
Hmmm. What do you do with a Governor who has a “change of heart” about protecting a CONSTITUTIONALLY GUARANTEED RIGHT?
Only one thing to do. Vote the guy O-U-T. Yesterday if not sooner. Recall him if possible. Vote him out in a general election if not.
This guy took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution. I guess he thinks that means he protects and defends only those parts of the Constitution with which his “heart” is comfortable.
He took an oath. He violated it. Get rid of him. Only answer.
Unlikely. There is not a strong enough conservative presence in Vt to make that happen. He would have to do something to piss off the liberals to get voted out. There are plenty of Democrat gun owners, but too many people just don’t care.
Can’t trust Rep or Dem . Compromise means you’re only going to give up some of your rights. He needs to be voted out of office and get no armed security for the rest of his term and thereafter.
Vermonter’s learning the hard way that ALL politicians, no matter which stripe they are, are lying scumbags whose only interests are themselves, their power over others and lining their pockets with other peoples’ money.
Typical politician – says one thing, but does another.The Parkland incident was undeniably tragic, but it had no bearing on my views regarding gun-control. Why didn’t it ? (2) reasons –
(1.) There is a “mechanism” in place for changing the Constitution. It is the ONLY way that anything stated in the Constitution can be changed, altered or otherwise amended. Period. That’s the way it was designed.
(2.) I am a logical, sane, rational human being and I know that gun-control measures will not have a meaningful impact on crime because criminals don’t obey laws.
The only thing that would have a profound impact would be to hop in your time machine, return to the past and either un-invent firearms OR convince our founders to drop the 2nd Amendment. That is about as stupid (and likely) as gun-control having any real impact on crime.
What was the compromise? It is never explained. What do the gun rights side receive in renumeration for this rediculous legislation?
The gun rights side (sic) gets the security of a greater common sense approach to the Charleston Loophole. We pay a hefty price in America for these gun rights, we should give the system time to work to protect American schools and streets. This doesn’t affect everyone, just those going to an open on a 4473 background check and even then, it just adds a few more days to give NICS a chance to work.
What is this “WE” crap you don’t even live in this country! Maybe if you were ever able to be a father you might understand, but we both know that ain’t happening! The Charleston loophole was our bureaucrats who screwed up not the legal gun owners!!!
As much as we choose to think otherwise of ourselves, Texas is still one of the United States. 😉
How would fatherhood affect my understanding of the Charleston Loophole?
I’ll have to pray for Texas. They let people like you live there.
Blue Him Dog, You’re definition of “common sense” gun laws always sounds so similar to rabid anti-2A folks. This illustrates your real purpose of pushing gun control, on a gun enthusiasts website! Your “ compromise” is laughable. The anti’s get more control and the law abiding American is put further under Big Brother’s thumb in the above article. Now, IF the law abiding had law to protect them, in the event the FBI delayed the “PROCEED” on a 4473, maybe THAT would be legitimate “compromise. Some method of punishing the government and rewarding the law abiding citizen in the event of government incompetence, THAT would be “compromise”. The above “compromise” is anything but. As for the politician, well, see definition of “RINO” in Marriam-Webster
“Some method of punishing the government and rewarding the law abiding citizen in the event of government incompetence.”
Please, we’re already $28 Trillion in debt(and counting). What you propose, although wonderful, would totally bankrupt this nation, as govt. incompetence is an everyday event in the DC Swamp.
I shut you down as soon as I saw you use the words “common sense.” The trite, regurgitated, illegitimate qualifier of every Leftist gun-banner and group. Hurry, Blue Dog, you’ll be late for your Bloomberg Everytown meeting.
Now THAT’s the Bluebird (he/she) I’ve come to be all too familiar with. For the record, I’m working on becoming more progressive and woke, so MY chosen pronoun for all of you gender-confused deviants will now be “IT”. No longer have to worry about referring to a “this” as a “that” or vice versa and hurting someone’s feelings, making them feel uncomfortable or offending them. Not that I was mind you. I should continue referring to everyone by the pronoun that matches what they actually are, but I digress. EVERY regulation, rule and law implemented or enacted since the Bill of Rights should immediately be erased because they all infringe (the 2nd Amendment). Period. Anyone that disagrees should read the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Same should be applied to a litany of other illegal federal regulations, rules and laws, but that won’t happen. Yet.