Vermont House Bill H0083

Vermont 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/24/25
• Refer: 1/24/25

Caption

An act relating to firearms storage

Summary

H.83 is a short-form bill titled “An act relating to firearms storage.” As introduced, it would create a special fund to subsidize Vermonters’ purchases of firearms storage devices, exempt all firearms storage devices from Vermont sales tax, and require firearms dealers to include a trigger lock with each firearm sold. The bill is framed as a firearms safety measure focused on encouraging secure storage and reducing unsafe access to guns. Because the bill text is short-form and the operative language is omitted, the introduction statement is the main source for its substance. The proposal would affect how firearms storage devices are treated under state tax law and would impose a new sales requirement on firearms dealers. It would also establish a state subsidy mechanism, likely administered through a dedicated fund, to help residents buy gun safes, locks, or similar storage equipment.

Impact

The bill would change Vermont law in three main ways: it would create a new fund for storage-device subsidies, exempt firearms storage devices from the Vermont sales tax, and require firearms dealers to provide a trigger lock with each firearm sale. These changes would affect state fiscal policy, retail sales tax administration, and firearms dealers’ sales practices, while directly benefiting purchasers of gun storage devices and firearm buyers receiving a lock at point of sale.

Sentiment

No committee transcripts or recorded votes are available for H.83, so there is no documented debate or vote history to gauge legislative sentiment. Based on the bill’s stated purpose, it appears to be a public-safety-oriented proposal intended to promote responsible firearm storage, with an emphasis on prevention rather than restriction of firearm ownership.

Contention

No specific points of contention are documented in the available materials. Potential areas of debate, based on the bill’s structure, could include the cost of creating and funding the subsidy program, the tax exemption’s fiscal impact, and the burden placed on firearms dealers to include trigger locks with every sale. However, the provided record does not identify any sponsors, opponents, or committee concerns on those issues.