Senate concurs with amended S209, adds ban on firearms at polling places

The Senate concurred with a House amendment to S209 and approved a further proposal from the conference, moving the measure forward. The amendment addresses 3D-printed or kit-assembled firearms ('ghost guns'), including a penalty structure that starts as a civil fine for a first failure to serialize and becomes a criminal offense on a second offense. The floor sponsor explained the compromise: a $50 civil penalty for a first offense and criminal penalties (up to two years imprisonment or a fine up to $1,000) for a subsequent offense.

The sponsor also explained a provision limiting a three-day waiting period exemption for serialized frames or receivers returned by licensed dealers, so a background check still occurs but immediate return after serialization is permitted. The House additionally added language extending prohibitions on firearms in certain "sensitive places;" the conference proposal narrowed that to firearms at polling places and kept the mens rea element "knowingly" to focus enforcement on intentional possession.

Senator from Chittenden Central framed the polling-place prohibition as a response to real threats to polling locations and said, "we will not allow our polling places to be places of anxiety or threat." Questions on whether penalties apply per person or per gun were asked on the floor; the sponsor said possession penalties are a single penalty (not multiple per gun) and separate manufacturing provisions address production quantities. The Senate concurred with the House amendment and the further proposal by voice vote.