Waffengesetze in Vermont

Die Waffengesetze in Vermont regeln den Verkauf, den Besitz und die Verwendung von Schusswaffen und Munition im US- Bundesstaat Vermont .

Vermont hatte früher nur sehr wenige Waffenkontrollgesetze , aber im Jahr 2018 erließ der Staat Gesetze, die Hintergrundüberprüfungen bei privaten Verkäufen vorschreiben , das Mindestalter für den Kauf von Schusswaffen auf 21 Jahre anheben (16 Jahre, wenn ein Langgewehr von einer Person gekauft wird, die kein bundesweit lizenzierter Waffenhändler ist und der Käufer eine Bescheinigung über den erfolgreichen Abschluss eines vom Vermont Commissioner of Fish and Wildlife genehmigten Jagdsicherheitskurses vorlegt), ^{[ 1 ] [ 2 ]} den Verkauf von Pistolenmagazinen mit mehr als 15 Schuss und Gewehrmagazinen mit mehr als 10 Schuss verbieten, ^{[ 3 ] [ a ]} ​​den Besitz von Bump Stocks verbieten , ^{[ 5 ]} und der Polizei erlauben, eine gerichtliche Anordnung zur Beschlagnahme von Waffen von Personen zu erwirken, die als extremes Risiko eingestuft werden . ^{[ 6 ] [ 7 ]} Der Teil des Gesetzes, der sich mit Magazinen hoher Kapazität befasst, wurde kürzlich aufgrund des Rechts auf Waffenbesitz (Kapitel I, Artikel 16) und des Gleichbehandlungsgrundsatzes/der „Gemeinschaftsvorteilsklausel“ (Kapitel I, Artikel 7) als verfassungswidrig nach der Verfassung von Vermont angefochten. ^{[ 8 ] [ 9 ]}

Das offene oder verdeckte Tragen von Schusswaffen ist im Allgemeinen nicht reguliert. Der ländliche Charakter des Bundesstaates, seine ausgeprägte Jagd- und Outdoor-Sporttradition sowie die niedrige Mordrate (6 bis 18 pro Jahr) ^{[ 10 ]} haben zu seiner historisch liberalen Waffenpolitik beigetragen. Waffenhändler sind verpflichtet, alle Verkäufe von Handfeuerwaffen zu dokumentieren. Das Landesrecht untersagt es den Kommunen, Besitz, Eigentum, Weitergabe, Tragen, Registrierung oder Lizenzierung von Schusswaffen zu regeln ^{[ 11 ] .}

Except as otherwise provided by law, no town, city, or incorporated village, by ordinance, resolution, or other enactment, shall directly regulate hunting, fishing, and trapping or the possession, ownership, transportation, transfer, sale, purchase, carrying, licensing, or registration of traps, firearms, ammunition, or components of firearms or ammunition. This section shall not limit the powers conferred upon a town, city, or incorporated village under subdivision 2291(8) of this title. The provisions of this section shall supersede any inconsistent provisions of a municipal charter. (Added 1987, No. 178 (Adj. Sess.), eff. May 9, 1988.)^[12]

The state neither issues nor requires a permit to carry a weapon on one's person, openly or concealed. This is known in the U.S. as constitutional carry. The phrase "constitutional carry" reflects the view that the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution does not abide restrictions on gun rights, including the right to carry or bear arms. Vermont is the only state where this has always been the case (hence the alternative term Vermont carry^[13]). Vermont law does not distinguish between residents and non-residents of the state; both have the same right to carry without prior state approval while in Vermont.

The Vermont Constitution of 1777, dating well before the Bill of Rights to a time when Vermont was an independent republic, guarantees certain freedoms and rights to the citizens: "That the people have a right to bear arms for the defense of themselves and the State – and as standing armies in time of peace are dangerous to liberty, they ought not to be kept up; and that the military should be kept under strict subordination to and governed by the civil power."^[14] The city of Rutland passed an ordinance to prohibit the carrying of weapons without permission from the mayor or chief of police but this was struck down by the Vermont Supreme Court in its 1903 State v. Rosenthal decision.^[15][16]

In January 2013, the City of Burlington, Vermont's most populous municipality, approved an ordinance banning assault weapons and certain magazines within its limits.^[17] An attempt at gun control at the local level, the ordinance would likely be challenged in court if enforced because Vermont has state preemption of local restrictions.^[18] The proposed ordinance was never fully enacted.

Some localities have adopted Second Amendment sanctuary resolutions.^[19]

Article I, Section 16 of the Constitution of Vermont states:

That the people have a right to bear arms for the defence of themselves and the State — and as standing armies in time of peace are dangerous to liberty, they ought not to be kept up; and that the military should be kept under strict subordination to and governed by the civil power.

Vermont state law does not distinguish between the open or concealed carry of any firearm. The Vermont Statutes restrict where civilians may carry firearms, such as courthouses, schools, and school buses, but not how they may carry them.^[25] The only exception to this is in Title 10, which states that a "person shall not carry or possess while in or on a vehicle" a loaded long gun, but makes no mention of "openly" or "concealed."^[26] The Vermont Supreme Court, in 1903, held that an individual had the right, under the Vermont Constitution, to carry a weapon, openly or concealed, for self-defense (State v. Rosenthal).^[27]

Effective July 1, 2023, it is a crime which can result in fines up to $5000 or imprisonment up to 5 years or both if a firearm is stored negligently and the firearm is misused by a child or by a person who is prohibited from possessing firearms. The law does not apply if the firearm was accessed by the child or prohibited person as the result of an illegal entry, or the firearm is stored "in a locked container or equipped with a tamper-resistant mechanical lock or other safety device." Other details apply.^[24]

• Hunting license