According to the governor, violent crime is not just a problem in Burlington

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont's governor is addressing the rise in violent crime in the state's largest city, saying gun violence is a problem that affects communities across the state, not just Burlington.

Police in the Queen City have had their hands full this month, investigating several shootings, armed robberies involving firearms, a murder at a Church Street nightclub, gunfire that led to an abandoned car riddled with bullet holes and covered in blood in a public park, and seeking information about young people hiding firearms and getting involved in fights downtown.

“Incidents like this and the ongoing incidents Burlington is grappling with demonstrate how complex the city’s public safety issues have long been,” said Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, P-Burlington.

Governor Phil Scott was attending a roundtable discussion on manufacturing workers in Lyndon on Tuesday. We asked him what can be done about this situation.

“We’re not just seeing it in Chittenden County; it’s everywhere,” said Scott, a Vermont Republican.

Scott points to recently passed legislation that increases penalties for trafficking drugs such as fentanyl and xylazine and allows prosecutors to charge juveniles as adults in gun violence cases.

This comes as Burlington struggles with problems such as open drug use, public camping and rising gun crime.

“We need to do more,” Scott said. “People need to be held accountable for their actions, and I don't think we've done that as well as we should.”

Next week, about 300 more Vermonters will end up on the streets after Vermont cuts to subsidized hotel and motel programs.

The legislative session begins in about four months, and Scott says he will continue to push for more accountability measures, such as bail reform.

“Hopefully we will get more of what we have promoted in recent sessions,” the governor said.

Democratic Senate President pro tempore Phil Baruth said this week that lawmakers would likely pass new gun restrictions in Burlington bars next session, claiming there has been a fundamental shift in public opinion about banning guns in bars.

“When it comes to the challenges in our inner cities related to addiction, guns and violence, we are not equal,” said Baruth, D/P-Chittenden County.

The discussion comes as college students return to the Queen City, a major economic engine for Burlington and the entire state.

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