Gun Safety

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1060456

 

            The gun laws in Vermont are some of the most lax in the entire United States of America. For example a 16 year old resident of Vermont can legally purchase a pistol and carry it concealed with no permit; but can't attend an R-rated movie alone, or join the military.

           

            This is a very controversial topic, since most people think tougher gun laws in Vermont would help prevent murders and accidents involving guns. If you compare Vermont's gun law's to some other States in the U.S they are like night and day.  For instance in Chicago, Illinois a civilian cannot carry a handgun at all. This is usually a rule of thumb in cities that have densely populated areas. Whereas in Vermont there is not that many densely populated areas. But in January 2013, the city of Burlington, Vermont is banning semi-automatic assault weapons along with large capacity magazines within the city.

             It doesn't make a difference if you are a resident or non-resident of Vermont; both have the equal right to carry according to Vermont law. However in Vermont you cannot carry a fully loaded rifle or shotgun in your car, but you can carry a loaded handgun. The reason behind this is because a handgun is better suited for self-defense purposes. While carrying a loaded shotgun or rifle is considered a poaching violation since hunting is so big in Vermont and you see many animals while driving along the road. Another restriction is that you cannot have a silencer or suppressor on your gun if you are not a part of Vermont police, or unless you own a class III federal firearms license (which are hard to obtain.)

Since there are few restrictions, Vermont gun supporters feel comfortable using the term “Vermont Carry,” to describe the state's rather easy going gun law. Many Vermonters believe hunting and protecting yourself is a right that should not be taken away. Although, right now the gun laws are not as restrictive as most States, there are Vermonter’s out there who are consistently trying to add new restrictions to the law.

Many of these attempts are not successful partly because of where Vermont stands on the overall record of gun related deaths per 100 thousand. Only 9.6 Vermonters out of 100,000 will suffer a gun related death every year. However, the reason that there is such a big controversy over Gun Laws is shown in the statistics. On the top of the list is Washington D.C. with 31.2 per 100,000 and right after that is Alaska with 20 per 100,000. Here is the difference, Washington D.C. has some of the toughest and most restrictive gun laws in the U.S. but Alaska with the second highest death rate has some of the weakest and least restrictive gun laws in the U.S.

With all the competing statistics and research that have been done there still is no one better solution than the other when it comes to gun laws. This is why each state decides what is best for their citizens.