People under Vermont protection orders would have to give up guns on the spot

When a Vermont court orders someone to give up their guns because of domestic abuse or a serious safety risk, the speed of that handoff can determine whether the order actually protects anyone. A proposal at the Statehouse focuses on that moment.

The measure would require a person covered by certain court orders to relinquish firearms, ammunition, or other weapons immediately when the order is served. Unless a judge allows a different arrangement, the items must go directly to a cooperating law enforcement agency or an approved federally licensed firearms dealer.

The rule applies to orders issued under Vermont’s relief‑from‑abuse law, extreme risk protection orders, and other qualifying orders tied to federal firearm prohibitions involving intimate partners or family members.

From a court order to a secured locker

The proposal rewrites part of Vermont law that governs what happens after a judge orders someone to surrender weapons. Instead of leaving the handoff loosely defined, the bill directs where those firearms must go and who becomes responsible for them.

Most surrendered weapons would be transferred to one of two custodians: a law enforcement agency or a federally licensed firearms dealer, often called an FFL. In federal law, that term covers licensed gun importers, manufacturers, or retailers that are required to run background checks on buyers.

Police departments that accept the firearms would photograph and catalogue each item and store it under statewide guidelines. If a department lacks storage space, the firearms could be transferred to a licensed dealer, with the owner notified about where the weapons are held and what storage fees apply.

Limits on informal transfers

Courts could still allow a different arrangement in some situations, but the bill sets boundaries around that option. Law enforcement agencies, federally licensed firearms dealers, and in limited cases a court‑approved third party are the only custodians recognized in the statute.

A judge could authorize a third party to hold the firearms only after a hearing and only if the arrangement adequately protects the people the order is meant to shield. Anyone approved would have to pass a federal background check and sign an affidavit promising secure storage and denying access to the original owner or any other prohibited person.

If a court later finds that the weapons were accessed improperly, they would have to be transferred immediately to law enforcement or a licensed dealer.

Building enforcement into the process