For a politician who typically plays it safe, Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger’s decision Monday to speak out on gun violence was an uncharacteristic move.

Barely a week before, he and the Burlington City Council were reminded of the strength of Vermont’s gun rights community when nearly 100 activists showed up at City Hall to oppose a proposed assault weapons ban.

Apparently, that wasn’t enough to dissuade Weinberger from pushing the issue further.

“As the father of a first-grader and as a mayor who gets one of the first calls when someone is shot in this city, I feel a deep responsibility to join the loud call for action now to protect our children and communities from illegal guns,” Weinberger said during a press conference Monday afternoon at the Burlington Police Department’s North Avenue headquarters.

Standing beside the mayors of Montpelier and Barre, Weinberger announced that he’d joined a national gun control group founded by New York’s Michael Bloomberg, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, and embraced three of its legislative priorities: to improve the federal background check system, to ban assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips, and to crack down on gun trafficking.

While hardly breaking new ground in the national debate over gun laws, Weinberger’s move was notable in this gun-loving state simply for the contrast it painted with other prominent Vermont politicians, who have mostly sought to avoid discussing gun laws in the wake of last month’s deadly school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.

By raising the issue himself, Burlington’s mayor stood out from the crowd. And for a local politician who clearly harbors statewide political ambitions, that’s a risky move.

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Paul Heintz was part of the Seven Days news team from 2012 to 2020. He served as political editor and wrote the "Fair Game" political column before becoming a staff writer.

5 replies on “Weinberger and Fellow Mayors Call for New Federal Gun Laws”

  2. Weinberger: I’m fearmongering for gun control,
    but I have no problem with WMDs like the F-35.
    Oh, wait, gun business is a bigger part of our economy?
    Really? Well, in that case….

  3. I think it’s nice to see that Weinberger included Galbraith in the conference. So many of the controversial issues in this country become an us vs them mentality, where both sides draw hard lines and refuse to engage with each other. It’s so refreshing to see a politician declaring their opinion, while acknowledging and providing a voice to other parties in the debate. It’s a shame this can’t happen more on a national scale.

  4. Oh, come on. If you’re opposed to the existence of F-35 aircraft, that’s a fine and respectable position to take. But realize that opposing F-35s at BTV will not in any way, shape or form reduce the number of F-35s that the US government purchases. If you’re opposed to the F-35, protest the F-35. Protesting the F-35 at BTV does not in any way equate to protesting the purchase the aircraft themselves. And seriously, do you consider an F-16 any less of a major weapon than an F-35? I understand the argument for reducing military spending, but I can’t fathom how that in any way relates to where said aircraft are based. The bulk of the opposition to the basing (as opposed to the purchase) of F-35s is a result of noise concerns. Conflating the two issues only gives a false legitimacy to those who are perfectly happy with the nearly limitless sums we spend every year on our military and only oppose the F-35s due to NIMBY concerns.
    Oh, and really none of this has much to do with the gun debate. One can take a legitimate position on private firearms ownership and feel different about how we should equip our military.

  5. Because gun violence in Vermont is such a problem that we need to start taking away people’s rights. The Burlington Police Chief testified in front of the City Council (including Weinberger) that NO “assault weapons” or “high capacity clips” had EVER been used in commission of a crime in Burlington. Maybe he was playing with his iPhone like the other City Councilors were and didn’t hear it.
    This is not about safety, this is not about crime. This is about political ideology and ignorant, feel-good, copycat legislation that would have absolutely zero effect on the non-existent gun crime in Vermont anyway. Weinberger doesn’t want citizens to have guns but loves pulling out the Riot Police whenever there is a peaceful demonstration in Burlington that gets in his way.

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