Vermont Senate Bill S0329

Vermont 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 4/15/26
• Refer: 4/15/26
• Report Pass: 5/5/26
• Report Pass: 5/6/26
• Report Pass: 5/7/26
• Engrossed: 5/8/26
• Refer: 5/13/26

Caption

An act relating to criminal procedures involving firearms

Summary

S.329 is a firearms and criminal procedure bill that expands several state firearm prohibitions and penalties. It would make theft of any firearm grand larceny regardless of the firearm’s value, increase penalties for repeat unlawful possession by prohibited persons, and add new categories of people barred from possessing firearms, including individuals found by a court to pose a danger due to mental illness and certain people subject to court-ordered treatment or hospitalization. The bill also prohibits possession of machine guns and bump-fire stocks, and creates a new offense for knowingly possessing a firearm on premises licensed to serve alcohol, with specified exceptions. The bill also updates Vermont’s firearms-transfer waiting period law and reporting requirements. It would require a 72-hour waiting period, or seven business days after a background check is initiated, before a firearm transfer can be completed, including special rules for mailed transfers. In addition, it directs court administrators to report certain treatment-related court findings to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), reinforcing federal and state firearm-disability enforcement. The act is set to take effect on passage.

Impact

The bill would amend multiple provisions in Title 13 of Vermont law, including grand larceny, prohibited-person firearm possession, firearm transfer procedures, machine gun restrictions, alcohol-premises firearm restrictions, and court reporting to NICS. It broadens the scope of conduct treated as firearm-related criminal offenses and increases criminal penalties for violations, while also imposing posting requirements on alcohol-licensed premises and creating exceptions for law enforcement, military, government officers, and certain license holders. Affected parties include firearm owners, dealers, prohibited persons, courts, law enforcement, and businesses licensed to serve alcohol.

Sentiment

The voting history suggests the bill had majority support in the Senate but also meaningful opposition. The Judiciary Committee amendment and third reading both passed 17-12, and the bill then passed on third reading by the same margin, indicating a relatively close but successful vote. The available record shows no committee transcript, so the broader discussion cannot be directly assessed, but the roll-call results indicate the measure was supported by a majority and opposed by a substantial minority.

Contention

The most likely points of contention are the bill’s expansion of firearm prohibitions and the creation of new criminal penalties. Provisions affecting people with mental-health-related court findings, persons subject to abuse or stalking orders, and those charged with certain offenses may have raised due-process and public-safety concerns. The new ban on firearms in alcohol-licensed premises, along with the waiting-period requirement and the machine gun/bump-fire stock restrictions, are also the kinds of provisions that typically draw debate over self-defense rights, enforcement burden, and the balance between gun regulation and public safety.