Vermont gov vetoes creating 24-hour wait period for handguns

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Vermont’s Republican governor has vetoed a bill that would have established a 24-hour waiting period to buy handguns.

The move comes just over a year after Vermont imposed its first significant gun ownership restrictions following what police say was a near-miss school shooting in the town of Fair Haven.

The waiting period bill was delivered to Gov. Phil Scott last week. He vetoed it Monday.

Proponents say such a law was needed to prevent impulsive gun purchases that can lead to self-harm and homicides.

But gun rights advocates said the measure would have been a further erosion of their rights to bear arms and it would not have accomplished its goals.

The Legislature passed the bill creating the waiting period last month.