The Vermont House this week passed legislation imposing new restrictions on gun ownership, including raising the legal age for buying a gun to 21 years old.
The legislation passed Tuesday in the Vermont House by a vote of 89-54, falling mostly along party lines, The Associated Press reported.
It’s the second time the legislation was approved by the House, something required by Vermont law. A version of the bill has also passed Vermont’s Senate, but the Senate must pass the bill for a second time.
The House legislation also bans high-capacity magazines and bump stocks.
{mosads}During the vote, a crowd of people opposed to the measures filled the Statehouse wearing orange hunting vests, according to the AP.
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, said he was prompted to back new gun legislation after the arrest last month of a teenager who was allegedly plotting a shooting at a high school in the state.
“It’s a tremendous responsibility as governor to make sure that you protect the citizens of the state so this isn’t an easy decision for me to make, but I have to look at it broadly and ask myself, do some soul searching and ask myself … are we doing everything we can to protect our kids, and the answer for me at that point in time was no,” he said during a news conference.
Opponents of the Vermont legislation argued that the measures were not constitutional and said the new restrictions would not ensure school safety.