GunSenseVT Candlelight Vigil to take place Thursday, November 2nd
GunSense VT Candlelight Vigil
Thursday, November 2nd
Pliny Park, Brattleboro
5-6 pm
GunSense VT is holding a candlelight vigil in Brattleboro this Thursday, November 2nd at Pliny Park, 5 p.m. in support of the people of Lewiston, Maine, banning assault weapons, and passing common sense legislation to save innocent lives. It is one of several that are planned for the same day around the State.
As GunSense VT board member Laura Subin, whose daughter was in lockdown at Bates College in Lewiston last week, said, “The chilling proximity of the tragedy in Maine shatters any illusion of safety we might have previously felt here in Vermont. It is a harrowing reminder that no community is immune to this sort of heartache.”
GunSense VT remains committed to advocating for common sense gun laws that can save lives and reduce the risk of such tragedies. A full ban on semi-automatic assault weapons, a priority for the 2024 legislative session, has been a long standing tenet of the organization and gun safety advocates.
Local GunSense VT volunteers who are organizing the vigil encourage everyone to join in this show of support. Bring a candle or just yourself. Candles will be available.
GunSense Vermont is a grassroots, non partisan organization working to ensure that all Vermonters are free from gun violence. It is part of a growing movement nationwide to stem the epidemic of gun violence.
For more information: mel@gunsensevt.org.
Should I take GunSenseVT seriously?
A couple of months ago, I emailed GunSenseVT the following question, which apparently was not important enough to warrant a response:
_________________________________________________
To: Gunsense VT
A friend has asked me to allow him to store a gun in my home. I need to know what would be legal, and what would violate the law. Please let me know if you would help me. If I know that you are responsive to my request, I would be happy to ask specific questions.
In the meantime, please feel free to send me any information that would be relevant. My concerns are safety, legality, and potential liability that I might inadvertently incur.
Thank you,
SK-B
hmmm
I thought this would be easy to find out, but not so!
From what I can gather, a VT gun owner is liable for just about everything relating to their gun, there are storage laws that relate to keeping the gun away from children, and there are other laws about guns and mental health.
Federal law allows someone to lend a firearm to someone else, provided the individual is not prohibited from accessing a gun (a criminal, addict, illegal alien, etc.). I’d assume that would cover loaning for short term storage (but maybe not?)
Seems like safest would be to not have any guns around. Second safest might be to store the gun in some locked box and keep ammo off premises.
I think a call to the state of VT might get you the answers, since they enforce the laws. GunSense seems to lobby for new laws and raise awareness of gun violence issues. Still, someone should know. : )
A conversation would have helped.
A conversation with a knowledgeable person — particularly about a serious matter — may reveal unanticipated “real-world” consequences, which one might never have realized solely by researching printed material.
And. . .
Just checking with state would get you the minimum requirements, but I had hoped someone from GunSenseVT might do better.
“A call to the state of VT” first would mean trying to figure out who at “the state” to call, then it likely would turn into time on hold, “conversations” with scripted IA or a scripted bureaucrat, and being shunted around in the quest to find the person who could answer my questions.
Bottom line is that I wanted more than a minimal, legalistic answer: I wanted to speak with a caring, intelligent, and knowledgeable person who could would help me make genuinely informed decisions. GunSenseVT was unresponsive
Or
Maybe a trip to Pliny Park on Thursday would give time for a conversation. Looks like they’ll be there a while…
Thanks for the suggestion. . .
but at 78 with mobility problems and an awareness of the limitations of time, what sense would it make to spend an afternoon chasing the March Hare?
what sense?
Gun Sense, presumably … : )
(You set that one up for me…)
I agree phone calls can be a pain and sometimes pointless, but your emails weren’t answered.
Would a call to the local police or sheriff get a quicker answer? I haven’t seen them invest in call center tech yet. : )
Dire Wolf
That kind of tar pit, time suck, blood pressure spiker, happens with disturbing frequency when calling for information in a range of situations. I wonder if the type of responsiveness we once knew has gone the way of the rotary phone?
"Listen carefully as our options have changed."
Thank you, AnneODyne, for an astute observation:-)