If you are interested in finding out more about any of these issues, a list of research is below…
Vermont’s Current Gun Laws
- www.smartgunlaws.org/vermont-state-law-summary/
- “Most states require gun owners to apply for permits in order to carry concealed weapons. Vermont is one of four states that makes no such provision.” http://middleburycampus.com/article/national-debate-prompts-evaluation-of-vermont-gun-laws/
- http://statelaws.net/Vermont-Gun-Laws.php
- http://www.atg.state.vt.us/issues/gun-laws.php
- Vermont is 3rd in the nation in permissiveness regarding gun laws, and ranks in the middle on gun deaths. Compared with the rest of of New England, our gun death rate is the highest, twice as high as Massachussets. http://smartgunlaws.org/gun-laws-matter-a-comparison-of-state-firearms-laws-and-statistics/
The Case for Expanded Background Checks and Making Guns Less Accessible to Those Who Shouldn’t Have Them
- NYTimes article on the lawless world on online gun buying: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/17/us/seeking-gun-or-selling-one-web-is-a-land-of-few-rules.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
- A Washington Post Article about the large number of guns being sold on-line without a background check: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/new-study-finds-vast-online-marketplace-for-guns-without-background-checks/2013/08/05/19809198-fd73-11e2-9711-3708310f6f4d_story.html
- Research from Mayors Against Illegal Guns: http://libcloud.s3.amazonaws.com/9/47/c/1725/Evidence_that_Background_Checks_Work.pdf
- Fareed Zakaria argues that the explanation for our high rate of gun violence does not come from a broken mental health system or from a violent culture; it comes directly from the easy access to guns. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/fareed-zakaria-the-solution-to-gun-violence-is-clear/2012/12/19/110a6f82-4a15-11e2-b6f0-e851e741d196_story.html
Connection between Domestic Violence and Gun Laws
- Explanation of why domestic violence offenders often get to keep their guns…http://www.7dvt.com/2013many-prohibited-persons-still-have-guns-because-cops-have-nowhere-put-them
- Domestic Violence in Vermont: http://www.vtnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2012-VT-Network-ann-report-final-2-1-13.pdf
- Domestic Violence: http://www.ncadv.org/files/Vermont.pdf
A Public Health Crisis
- Vermont Pediatrician Eliot Nelson’s Testimony at the U.S. Senate hearings on the need for stricter gun laws: Testimony to Judiciary Committee 2013 – final rev3 (1)
- Clinical Perspectives - Ending the Silence on Gun Violence: Gun Violence
- Harvard study on gun violence: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/hicrc/firearms-research/ and the Harvard Firearms Research Database: http://www.firearmsresearch.org/
The Connection Between High Suicide Rates and Guns
- From VT Digger: In 2009, Vermont had the 16th highest suicide rate among the 50 states. Since then our suicide rate has risen by 15%. ….http://vtdigger.org/2011/11/15/suicide-rate-up-13-percent-in-vermont/
- USA Today article about the connection between suicide and easy access to guns: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/07/21/guns-most-deadly-choice-in-suicide-attempts/2572097/
- USA Today article about the importance of safe storage laws: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/11/children-protection-gun-violence/2079177/
- The connection between suicide risk and guns in homes: http://contemporarypediatrics.modernmedicine.com/contemporary-pediatrics/news/suicidal-kids-and-guns-homes-deadly-mix?contextCategoryId=8
- Kids and guns ‘These are not isolated tragedies’ – CNN.pdf
- Interview with Harvard Professor of health policy and author of the 2006 book, Private Guns, Public Health, which includes the following quote…”A child in the United States compared to a child in Finland or France or New Zealand is not 20 percent more likely to be killed in a gun homicide, or 50 percent more likely, or twice as likely, or five times as likely. It’s 13 times higher. Our gun suicide rate for these children is eight times higher. Our non-gun suicide rate is average. For unintentional gun deaths, we have 10 times the likelihood of death [compared with other developed countries].”: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/12/looking-for-lessons-in-newtown/
- From the Children’s Defense Fund: “Studies of child access prevention laws, which require gun owners to store their guns so that children and teens cannot access them unsupervised,have found these laws reduce accidental shootings of children by as much as 23 percent and suicides of adolescents by eight percent.” …http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/data/state-data-repository/the-truth-about-guns.pdf
- JAMA study on links between numerous guns and numerous gun deaths (criminal and suicide): http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1661390.
Gun Trafficking Research and Evidence of Vermont’s Growing Guns-for-Drugs Trade
- http://tracetheguns.org/#/states/VT/exports/
- An article from WCAX that highlights the fact that Vermont is a weak link in our region in terms of it’s gun laws…”"In 2009, the coalition tracked how often guns purchased in one state were recovered from crime scenes in another state. Vermont ranked 16th nationally and topped every state in the Northeast, exporting more guns per capita than New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts and New York.”… http://www.wcax.com/story/21053113/wcax-investigates-guns-and-drugs
- http://www.reformer.com/localnews/ci_24109302/prosecutor-says-vermont-drug-death-suspect-built-sales?IADID=Search-www.reformer.com-www.reformer.com
- A NYTimes Editorial about the problem of gun trafficking: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/07/opinion/the-iron-pipeline-thrives.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
- From the Burlington Free Press: “The ATF research shows that more than 80 percent of guns used in crimes and recovered in Massachusetts came here from another state.” — Suffolk County Attorney General Conley…http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20120726/NEWS02/307260016/From-Vermont-to-Boston-journey-of-a-gun)
- The Washington Post did a series called Hidden Life of Guns: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/nation/guns/
- A link to the Mayors Against Gun Violence website and their data on trafficking: http://mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/media-center/pr009-08.shtml.
- http://www.vttoday.com/traffic-stop-results-in-drug-trafficking-gun-arrest/
- http://www.wcax.com/story/19602203/ten-arrested-in-rutland-guns-raid
- http://www.recorder.com/home/5506809-95/vt-man-arrested-on-guns-ammo-charges
- http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/06/2_vermont_men_arrested_on_gun.html
- http://www.vtnewsfeed.com/vergennes/four-arrested-guns-and-drugs-seized-in-starksboro-bust/
- http://www.vermonttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/RH/20121013/NEWS02/710139922
- http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nine-arrested-for-firearm-or-drug-crimes-62143632.html
- “Guns and drugs plague big cities and small towns,” stated Andy Anderson, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Division of ATF. “We will continue to focus our investigative efforts in rural America. Today’s actions here in Rutland, Vermont, should send a strong message that ATF remains committed to reducing violent crime, protecting the public, and keeping all Americans safe.” http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/greenmountain/htm/greenmountain/pdf/firearms_case102809.pdf
- http://www.wptz.com/news/vermont-new-york/burlington/Drug-investigators-arrest-dozens-in-Bennington-County/-/8869880/18157968/-/pqc7fn/-/index.html
- http://www.wcax.com/story/19711490/drug-raid-in-chester
- http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20130124/NEWS02/301240032/Vermont-man-sentenced-in-drugs-for-gun-trade
- http://www.vttoday.com/man-gets-seven-years-for-drugs-and-gun-violations/
- http://www.vermontguardian.com/local/122006/Guns.shtml
- http://www.wptz.com/news/vermont-new-york/burlington/Police-Collaboration-leads-to-convictions-gun-seizures/-/8869880/17840124/-/3so72hz/-/index.html
- http://www.ontheissues.org/states/VT_Gun_Control.htm
- http://www.vermonttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/RH/20130418/NEWS01/704189871
- http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/03/three_vermont_residents_face_d.html
- http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-51001.html
- http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=118×452614
- http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/96237/surge-in-heroin-prescription-drug-abuse-vt-towns/
- http://www.pressherald.com/news/vermont-considers-setting-up-new-unit-to-fight-gang-activity_2012-02-18.html
- http://www.wcax.com/story/21650298/drug-raid-in-burlingtons-old-north-end
- http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20130104/NEWS01/701049924
- http://www.justice.gov/usao/vt/press/releases/20120724_boyd.html
- http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20121105/NEWS02/311050017/One-suspect-caught-another-escapes-alleged-drug-case
- http://www.justice.gov/usao/vt/press/releases/20121221_barremontpelier.html
- http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20130118/NEWS02/301180009/Police-Pot-pills-guns-seized-in-Montgomery-raid
- http://www.city-data.com/forum/vermont/275836-drugs-gangs-vermont.html
- http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?s=5178684&clienttype=printable
- http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20130409/NEWS01/704099822/1002
- http://www.fox44abc22yourvoice.com/story/21971178/police-raid-starksboro-apartment-find-heroin-guns