Vermont House approves ban on unserialized 'ghost' guns with new serialization requirements

The Vermont House on April 24 passed Senate Bill 209, an act aimed at prohibiting unserialized firearms and unserialized firearm frames and receivers and requiring serialization in specified circumstances. The measure, as amended on the floor, adds narrow exemptions for government employees performing official duties at polling places and tasks the Secretary of State’s office with a report on municipal policies related to firearms in municipal buildings.

Supporters said the bill helps law enforcement investigate crimes and closes gaps created by firearms built without serial numbers, often called "ghost guns." "It is absurd that someone could bypass these laws simply by placing an order through the mail or by owning a 3 d printer," said a Representative from Rutland City during floor debate, arguing serialization assists police in solving crimes. The bill’s floor sponsor, the member from Williston, described the change as targeting criminal behavior and clarified that enforcement would arise in the course of criminal investigations rather than through routine spot checks by police: "Law enforcement would not have that ability or right to spot check."

Floor amendments adjusted the bill’s scope. A technical amendment presented by the bill sponsor extended an explicit exemption so that a federal, state, or political subdivision employee acting within official duties at a polling place would not violate the polling-place prohibition. Representative Harrison offered and then withdrew an enabling amendment that would have allowed municipal legislative bodies to adopt local ordinances prohibiting firearms in municipal buildings; Representative Malone later offered an amendment directing the Secretary of State to work with the Vermont League of Cities and Towns and the Town Clerk's Association to produce a report examining options for restricting firearms in municipal buildings, which the House adopted.

Members questioned how serialization would be carried out and who could apply serial numbers. The sponsor said federally licensed firearms dealers (FFLs) and an expanded group of third-party engravers could perform serialization: an FFL could take temporary possession, have the serial number applied by a third party while the FFL remains present, and then return the firearm to its owner. The sponsor said at least 10 dealers in Vermont currently perform serialization and that the committee expanded the list of eligible service providers to avoid geographic disparities.

The House also asked whether existing ghost guns would be grandfathered. The sponsor replied that guns manufactured before 1968 would be exempt as antiques or permanently inoperable firearms; guns manufactured from 1968 onward would be subject to the serialization requirement. The committee did not analyze the economic hardship of requiring owners to pay for serialization and noted it did not take direct testimony from gun shop owners in the House (the sponsor said gun shop testimony was taken in the Senate). The bill was passed in concurrence with the House proposal of amendment by voice vote.

What happens next: S.209, as passed by the House in concurrence with its amendments, will proceed according to legislative procedures to be reconciled with the Senate version as necessary before becoming law.