MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont lawmakers in the House on Tuesday took up a Burlington charter change that calls for banning guns in bars. It comes following a fatal shooting at a busy Church Street bar last summer and after a similar measure stalled in Montpelier a decade ago.
It’s an issue that Burlington bar owner Mike Dunn knows all too well.
T. Rugg’s Tavern was at the center of an hours-long hostage situation last year involving a man wielding a knife and Molotov cocktails. The standoff ended peacefully, but Dunn told lawmakers Tuesday that it might not have been the case. “If he had been carrying a gun, it could have ended very differently,” he said.
Gun rights groups like the Vermont Traditions Coalition say that while the ban may be well-intentioned, it would have unintended consequences, banning guns in other places that serve alcohol, including restaurants and hotels. “The federation does not support alcohol and guns mixing any more than we support alcohol and driving,” said the group’s Chris Bradley. “If I’m just going to have a hamburger in a location that happens to serve alcohol, and I go in for fries and a Coke, I can’t have the ability to defend myself, in Burlington of all places?”
Whether or not the charter change would meet constitutional muster remains an open question.
At T. Rugg’s, Dunn acknowledges the proposed prohibition would be difficult to enforce, but he contends just having it would create a culture of safety downtown, equating it to when smoking was banned in bars. “I think we’re all happy that went statewide. It makes it a lot easier not to be in a bar when you don’t smoke,” he said.
The political path forward for the bill remains a moving target. Governor Phil Scott has previously raised concerns about creating a patchwork of gun laws in towns, preferring a statewide approach to gun regulations.
The bill is now in the House after passing the Senate 17 to 12 last month, not enough votes to override a veto.
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