VERMONT FEDERATION OF
SPORTSMEN'S CLUBS
FOLLOWING CT TRAGEDY
The tragic school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut has saddened this country. Since the time of this terrible crime there has been constant media coverage. The federation has not taken a public position, instead carefully considering information as it became available. The Vermont Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs is an organization of clubs with memberships of parents and grandparents. We take gun safety very seriously, which is why the federation invests so much time in the training of shooters/hunters, development of ranges, training programs, and enactment of pertinent laws and regulations. What has become clear thus far is that there are several factors that play a critical role in a complex problem. That said, it is the experience of the federation that those who commit violent criminal acts do not obey laws. Hence, the federation has long held that laws which restrict the ownership of firearms by peaceful citizens do not deter crime and only serve to give advantage to the perpetrators of violent crime.
The federation does not engage in the legislative or regulatory process in a hasty manner. We believe that laws created in haste in the emotional aftermath immediately following a traumatic event usually lack the sound public policy that society has a right to demand in its laws. We believe in a deliberate legal process. Therefore, the federation will continue it long standing practice of being willing to offer our knowledge and decades of experience to our state in legislative discussions that may follow the tragedy in Connecticut.
