Campaign Finance Disclosure Shows over $23,000 Raised From 131 Vermont Supporters. Election Contributions Offered to Statehouse Candidates From All Major Parties

Polling Revealed 81 Percent of Likely Voters And 77 Percent of Gun Owners in Vermont Support Criminal Background Checks On All Gun Sales

Montpelier, VT -- The Gun Sense Vermont Victory Fund on October 1, 2014, filed a state political action committee finance disclosure showing over $23,000 had been raised from 131 Vermont supporters of the campaign to pass a criminal background check law for all gun sales in the 2015 Vermont Legislature.   

“Vermonters are stepping up with an unprecedented grassroots campaign to support political change that will help keep guns out of the wrong hands,” said Ann Braden, President of Gun Sense VT and a leader of the Gun Sense VT Victory Fund.  “It’s clear that lawmakers who work to bring common sense balance to gun violence prevention policy will be supported,” she continued.

Supporters explain that weak implementation and outdated loopholes in the existing background check law allow felons, domestic abusers and convicted drug dealers to easily buy guns in Vermont.  Based on the 38% drop in domestic violence homicides and 49% drop in gun trafficking that results from closing these loopholes, they call for Vermont to require criminal background checks on all gun sales to help protect its citizens.

“As a Vermonter, I am troubled that our state has some of the most liberal gun laws in America because it makes it easy for violent felons to evade the criminal background check system and illegally buy guns,” said Barbara Felitti from Huntington, Vermont.  Felitti contributed $50 to the GunSenseVT Victory Fund to show that she stands up for balanced reform.  

Campaign contributions were made to democrats, republicans and progressive legislative candidates from all across Vermont. All told, 88 candidates were offered contributions ranging from $100 to $1600.   

Gun Sense VT supporters are also active statewide collecting petition signatures, urging citizens to contact their lawmakers, and promoting grassroots activism to support action that will end an age gone by where Vermont has the one of the most liberal, unsecure firearms policy in America.  

Candidates open to reform are boosted by recent polling that shows overwhelming support among Vermonters for common-sense gun laws that will keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people. In fact, polls found that 81 percent of voters in Vermont – including 77 percent of gun owners – support criminal background checks on all gun sales.

In addition, survey results also showed that a strong majority of voters (67%) and a majority of gun owners (61%) in Vermont would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports common-sense gun laws like criminal background checks on all gun sales.