Armed Man Arrested at Vermont Statehouse After Threatening House Speaker, Vermont Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Respond

The Vermont chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots networks, released the following statement after a man who had threatened the Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives was arrested at the Vermont Statehouse with a gun in his car. 

“Our hearts are with Speaker Krowinski, her staff, and all those who work on behalf of Vermonters in our State House. Nobody should have to face these threats, made even more dangerous by easy access to firearms,” said Seton Mcilroy, a volunteer with the Vermont chapter of Moms Demand Action. “This is a reminder of how important it is to have laws that enable the removal of firearms from people in crisis before they cause harm to themselves or others, and that the public is aware of how to use those laws to protect our communities from gun violence.” 

Vermont enacted an extreme risk law in 2018 that allows the Attorney General or local State’s Attorneys to petition for a court order temporarily preventing a person who poses a danger to themselves or others from accessing firearms. Lawmakers can ensure this law is as protective as possible by expanding it to allow family or household members of people at risk of harming themselves or others to petition the court directly for extreme risk protection orders. This year, Connecticut,the first state in the nation to pass an extreme risk law, passed legislation to strengthen their law in this way. Read more about gun violence in Vermont here.