Vermont Passes State Law Against ‘Paramilitary Training Camps’ To Target One Man

(TotalConservative.com) – Vermont’s progressive politicians are taking aim at people who teach others how to operate firearms with a new law that makes it a crime to own or operate “paramilitary training camps.” The legislation was drafted in response to complaints by neighbors that training courses were being operated without the proper permitting. Punishments for violators are as steep as $50,000 or 5 years in prison, or both.

The law exempts law enforcement training and military personnel, there are also carve-outs for self-defense training, target practice, and hunting instruction, as long as they aren’t politically slanted. Will this law be enforceable under the second amendment? In deep blue Vermont, it is a distinct possibility.

Specifically, it forbids instruction on how to use firearms, along with other potentially harmful weapons like explosives or “any device” that could potentially injure or harm someone or that could be used during “a civil disorder.” Also prohibited are groups of individuals training together.

Gun grabbers rejoiced. Calling it a “commonsense policy,” Allison Anderman, who works for the anti-2A Guns & Democracy project characterized instruction on firearms as “private paramilitary activity” which she claimed encourages “anti-government firearms intimidation.”

The law was drafted specifically in response to complaints made against Daniel Banyai, who owns a 30-acre farm in southern Vermont where he operates outdoor training courses. He’s been given some time to remove “unpermitted structures” on his property in Pawlett. His neighbors have been upset about the sound of gunfire and what they call “threats and intimidation” by Banyai and guests on his farm.

This isn’t Banyai’s first dance with the Vermont legal system, he’s been ignoring court orders since 2019, allowing the state to stack up fines and jail time if he refuses to obey their orders by June 23rd.

Banyai had not previously been in violation of any state or federal laws, until the passage of this new bill which seems specifically drafted and enacted just for him. Until now, locals had been weaponizing zoning laws in the town itself, but that had proven ineffective at cajoling his compliance.

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