Facing strong opposition, Vermont state Sen. Philip Baruth withdrew a bill to ban semi-automatic weapons like the one used in Newtown just a week after introducing the bill, the Burlington Free Press reported Monday.
In a statement, Baruth explained that he withdrew the bill because he feared the attention it was getting might derail less controversial gun legislation.
“It’s painfully clear to me now that little support exists in the Vermont Statehouse for this sort of bill,” Baruth, D-Chittenden, said in a written statement to the Burlington Free Press. “It’s equally clear that focusing the debate on the banning of a certain class of weapons may already be overshadowing measures with greater consensus, like tightening background checks, stopping the exchange of guns for drugs, and closing gun show loopholes.”
Bills covering those other measures are expected to be introduced in the Legislature.
