 Nobody from Caledonia County, I'm the Vice-Chair of the Committee. I'm Alice Nica from Windsor County, I'm Jeanette Waith from Wyndham County, which is exit 1-5 on 91, way down south. Tim Ash is the other member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, unfortunately he's upstairs with the Attorney General on up. And other press conference on firearm mischiefs, and he'll be here as soon as he can. He apologizes to all of you. So, Matt, please go ahead. So we're just going to go up prompt you, so if you're scheduled to testify, I'm going to ask you to stand up and wind up, and I will just go 1-5. Identify yourself in the record if you can, when you've got a chance. You don't need to use the last name for a noxious, but the first name would be Elmer. Can you just go over? Yes, right. Do you want to sit? I think your voice will carry better if you're sitting, and you've got a number of other devices there for the TV campus. Good morning. Good morning. We're here before you today because you need to hear from Vermont students that we do not... I'm going to identify at least your first name and then your last name. I'm McGreenwood, and I'm Abby Russell. Thank you, Abby. We are here before you today because you need to hear from Vermont students that we do not feel safe in our schools. As 34 mass shootings have already been counted since the beginning of 2018, less than two months time with eight deadly shootings occurring in schools, it shouldn't be hard to figure out why. I was watching videos the other day about the Florida shooting, and it stumbled across one of a candlelight vigil, held in honor of those who have been killed. Now, we don't know what it's like to experience something as violent and horrific as this killing was, but we, the students of Harvard Union High School, know what it's like to lose people. We know the tremendous cost of this sense of community that brings towns like Fairhaven together and allows them to mobilize like they are doing now. We know what it feels like to attend a candlelight vigil in honor of those you love, only half hearing the speeches because you're still partially in shock, embracing those you never thought you would because you didn't realize how much you love them until something like this happens. This suddenly hits you that life is so precious. We know that accidents, they happen. We can't protect the world from those, but unnecessary violence we can't prevent. That is exactly what this bill is about. It is not about taking away people's guns or their rights. It is not about taking away people's right to hunt or defend themselves. It is about protecting the right of children in our country to live into adulthood. As stated on page two, lines one through five of this bill, the courts will grant an extreme risk protection order, only if it finds clear and convincing evidence, not only that the respondent poses a significant danger of causing injury to themselves or another person, but that this danger will be caused by purchasing, possessing, or having a firearm under their control. This bill is not about taking people's rights. Yes, there are those who may temporarily lose the right to own a gun if this bill is passed, but when did we decide that this uncontestable right was more important than the lives of our country's children? Everybody thinks it won't happen to us, but we know personally that tragedy can strike the smallest, most unsuspecting communities like Waterbury and the Matterborough Valley. We know it almost happened in Fairhaven. We couldn't prevent the loss that we suffered, but we want to do whatever we can to prevent others from feeling anything like it, and that begins with this bill. State is a common speed limit for freeways in many U.S. states. They brewed hit 60 home runs in 1927. The 60s is when we began the new fight for racial equality, and every 60 hours gunfire echoes through the halls of a school in the United States. I never thought waking up on January 16th that my school would become a statistic. At 9.45 I entered my classroom, expecting to spend 15 minutes conferencing with my teacher. Instead I stayed in that small yellow room, huddled in the corner on the floor for over two hours. Can you hold on just a minute? There's a number of other young people I could get in, and maybe we really want to hear from you. You can come up here. They can come up. You can all come up behind. Why don't you get in front of the TV channel? Do you want to compare? Hey, the next one? No, Montpelier. Oh, Montpelier. I'm sorry. Instead I stayed in that small yellow room, huddled on the corner of the floor for two hours. When the announcement was first made to go into lockdown, we thought it was a drill, so no one was nervous. We were told very little, but as the minutes ticked by, information was gathered. Friends texting friends and rumors spreading. There was police cars blocking the entrances. A bank in town had been robbed. We continued to work, thinking it would all be over soon. Slowly, the truth steeped into my classroom. There were nine kids and one teacher in that room, all trying to frantically sort truth from lies. It was so scary to me, the fact that even my teacher didn't know what was true and what wasn't. After 45 minutes, an announcement from our principal came over the loudspeaker, saying that there was an armed person on our soccer field. The whole west wing of the school was evacuated into the auditorium. I stayed on lockdown in my classroom. This is when I emailed my parents. They reassured me, but even through the emails, I could tell they were worried. We all were. At 11, they shot him. We heard the echoes of every one of those gunshots. They say he was waving around a gun, threatening to kill himself. So instead, nine officers shot him to death. Throughout the rest of the day, I learned more and more information. This man had been our kindergarten teacher's son. He had died that afternoon, and every 60 hours had just become my reality. We were the lucky ones, the ones who walked away alive. Last week, my peers in Florida gave their lives just for going to school. Closer to home, my peers in Rutland were slated to die, but please do not underestimate the impact of this fear and uncertainty on every family in Vermont. If people are coming into federal and state buildings attempting to shoot adults every 60 hours, wouldn't you have put your foot down? Why would it be different? Why is it different when the children of our community have this ever-present threat hanging over them? I support each of these gun bills because this is what our future needs. Isn't a child's safety more important than owning a semi-automatic weapon? Isn't our safety more important than the convenience of someone who wants to buy a gun without the hassle of a background check? I'm here from Stowe High School. Throughout my years as a student, I've always been assured that school is a safe place where students will be in a safe learning environment without living in fear of one another. Given recent events, I and many others now believe this to be a lie. We all want to feel that we're safe, but deep down, each of us are thinking which one of us is going to be the one to pick up a gun? Many of my friends have come up to me in the past few days asking if I thought that we were safe. If nothing would happen to us because we're part of a very small community. I don't want to be hypocritical and say we're perfectly fine, but I also don't want to admit that I am scared too in a situation like this could actually happen. Passing Bill S-221 is a big step in the right direction toward restoring the well-being and safety of students and remonters. In 2001, a shoe bomber attempted to detonate a plastic explosive hidden in his shoes. Although the attack was unsuccessful, people today are required to remove their shoes in security before getting on a plane. Yet, since the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, there have been 1,606 school shootings and nothing has been done. Apparently, sending out our hopes and prayers is somehow supposed to fix the gun violence problems. We can hope and pray all we want, but now it's time to take action. Background checks at the state level will mitigate the amount of these devastating events. Strict or gun control laws are what we need now. If we don't pass this bill, are we just going to sit around and watch more lives be taken? Vermont firearms dealers and private sellers need to be required to perform their own background checks to ensure the safety of our society. Taking action is the only way to fix gun violence problems. We must pass the S-221 bill to give power to the state level to manage gun ownership. Thank you. My name is Eli Pine. I'm from Burlington High School. I'm a senior there. So thank you for allowing us to speak today. I came to the state house to speak on my support for comprehensive gun legislation. I support the three bills that have been introduced, H-422, S-221, and S-6. According to Gun Sense Vermont, in the 18 states that require criminal background checks on unlicensed gun sales, 38% fewer women are killed by guns and gun trafficking is 48% lower. A Lincoln Park Strategy Survey found that 81% of voters in Vermont support requiring all gun buyers to pass criminal background checks. So the overwhelming majority of Vermonters want this legislation to pass. Even gun owners in Vermont support universal background checks. In fact, 77% of gun owners support background checks for all sales. Gun violence in the United States has reached a tipping point, and the Washington Post reports that U.S. school shootings happen at a higher rate than 36 countries combined. In 2010, the U.S. had a population of 309 million. The population of the other countries totaled in that survey was 3.8 billion. The Washington Post ABC poll showed that 77% of Americans believe Congress is not doing enough to stop mass shootings. And so I ask, while our representatives here in Vermont listen to the people whom they represent, I ask when will we value our children more than our guns? And I ask how many more thoughts and prayers do we have to listen to until something is done to prevent these sorted acts of violence? Please stand up and support these bills in order to take a giant step forward towards making our society a safer place. The next generation is counting on you. Thank you. My name is Karen Wakar, and I'm a senior at South Windsor High School. Being the daughter of two Pakistani immigrants, school has always meant a lot in my household. My parents, my education is why they came to this country. To them, getting a quality education is an essential step to achieving the illustrious American dream for themselves and their children. To me, it gains the knowledge I need so I can form my own informed opinions about the world around me. And while we may have our differences and beliefs, my parents and I both agree that school should always be a safe place. We students should never have to fear for our safety and the place we are meant to learn. But time and time again, we are faced with terrifying reality. Whether it be the tragic events at Sandy Hook or at Parkland, we've been forced to repeatedly discuss what it means to live in America, to live in Vermont, right now. It means living in a place where universal background checks haven't been stated, and a place where law enforcement can't remove a gun from a dangerous or domestically abusive situation. It means the most terrifying part of school isn't AP chemistry or finals, but rather our own safety. I will never forget the tear of my eight-year-old brother experienced when he learned about the events in Fairhaven. He's eight. He shouldn't be worrying about the newest soccer game or his upcoming science fair project. Not his safety. In these past couple days, I have been shocked to hear, once again, the opposition to implementing common-sense gun reform. In the classroom, whether it be studying Newen's laws or discussing the three branches of government, I have been taught to find creative solutions to everyday problems and to think outside the box. However, in this situation, the problem and solution are obvious. History and recent events have shown America is in desperate need of gun reform. Gun reform should be enacted. For this reason, I support S6, S221, and H422. Thank you. My name is Hazel Fai. I'm 13 and I'm the main leader of the St. John'sburg School. As a student, I know that every lockdown is scary. Even if you know that they're drill, you can't help but be worried. I become anxious and worried about what might happen, and I know other kids feel the same way. If students don't feel safe attending class, then it's clear the system isn't working. If we keep ignoring the truth, change isn't going to happen. We cannot stand by and let more innocent kids trying to get an education be harmed. Every school should be considered a safe place for everyone. I want to be safe, and I want all my classmates to be safe. Students deserve the right to get an education without being threatened by violence. Having police at schools or armed teachers isn't the answer. A teacher's job is to supply kids with information necessary to succeed in the future, not to stand guard. Having a gun in the classroom is not the answer, as we want to keep guns out of school, not women. As for police, they have other jobs to do. It should not be required in a school setting. These solutions are just adding more security to schools, while what we need is more control over guns. I also want to say, as someone whose full-time job is learning, I believe that information is power. She's why I was surprised to learn that Congress has blocked the Centre for Disease Control from studying impacts of gun violence on our communities. I know this bill does not address that, but I hope as a state, Vermont can do better. It's time to take action. To provide the written testimony to Peggy, who organized, helped organize all this Peggy millennial here. Is there anybody else who would like to speak? Yeah. My name is Nathan DeGroote and I am a junior at Montpelier High School. And I was a page here in 2015. Welcome back. And something that that experience provided for me was the belief in the Democratic process and the belief that we as individuals can make change. And that is not something I see being done. And I don't have a written testimony like everyone else. But I was at the gunsmith Vermont rally the other day and I spoke. And I'm tired of it being, oh, this is the next one. And oh, this is the next one. I know here's the next one because I'm going to be sensitized to it. And so part of me is stop caring. And I don't want that to be the case when it happens so often that you stop caring. Then something's wrong. And when I woke up on January 16th, I didn't think that I would be spending my morning locked in a closet. Waiting to find out what was going to happen to me. And those kids in Florida didn't wake up that morning knowing that they were going to die. And while these bills are the first steps in making it possible for kids to be able to go to school and have the privilege to not die, we need more. And this is the first step, but we also need more. And I need people to know that we need more because school doesn't feel safe and school should feel safe. And my right to go to school and feel safe, let alone not be shot, is more important than someone's right to let go. Before you all leave, I want to thank you all for the testimony. And we still have a few minutes. Matt, would you want to speak with Ben? I think Senator Benny wanted to make a comment. I was going to ask you if you would collect the written testimony. And we could make copies of it if people are willing to share it. Yeah, we will do our best. I'm not the only organizer, so we're all trying to put this out. We'll do our best to do that. Just to be clear, there's a little bit more time for any students that want to testify just on your own. But right now, there's also the press conference in the Cedar Creek room at 10.30. So that's the youth press conference. So everybody from Harwood who are sort of silent observers should be going up there to the Cedar Creek room. And if you want to stay here to continue to testify, you may. So let's just take like a one minute break and keep this going. I just want to say a few really quick things. A lot of us are talking about the fear of violence in schools, that kind of stuff, just because it's been so broadcasted on the media and that kind of stuff. And I know that school violence, it hasn't been as prevalent, like gun violence. We don't have very high rates here in Vermont. I know that. But also, nobody thinks that it'll happen to them ever. That's what we've experienced at Harwood a couple years ago. We didn't think that that kind of tragedy would happen to us. And it did. So I think that you can never be too careful. And the fact that and we are so, and we support this bill so strongly because we believe that hopefully this bill, if it is enacted as it should be, that it will keep guns out of the hands of people who have a much higher potential of committing these kinds of crimes than others. And that's extremely important. Yes, people can, lots of people can commit violent acts with or without guns. But it is much easier for them to do so with access to these kind of firearms. And so that's why this bill is so important to us. And we just want to make sure that we are careful before we are grateful. Thank you. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. How are you all? If you could identify where you're from now. I realize there's competing threats going on today. Thank you. I'm Maple Snow. I'm from Memorial and I live in Hyde Park. I'm Erica Reineke. I attend Memorial Union High School and I live in Cambridge. I was born on September 8th, 2001, three days before 9-11. I have never known a world without terrorism, bombings and shootings. I grew up thinking school shootings were normal. Every student my age, every student now has a story like mine. More and more every day realize the lockdown drills we've had since we were five shouldn't feel normal. I remember the first time I realized this could really happen to me. I was 12. It was the day after Sandy Hook. My teacher sat my class down for a morning meeting and told us 27 children and teachers had been shot and killed in a school. I remember a girl I'd known since kindergarten started to cry. So in support of S-221, I'm here to tell you that there are signs, there are ways to know. We have to pay attention. No more acting too late and this has been enough of turning a blind eye and enabling those who are at risk of killing children. These are people who know that we know. They've gone to our schools, they've walked our halls and they know our procedures. With the passing of this bill, we are more effectively keeping dangerous weapons such as assault rifles out of the hands of those who seek to harm. What made it real for me was when I was at my own school and they got a threat. Students were getting calls from their parents making sure they were okay. I called my own mom who was scared and she asked me if I was okay and where I was and I'm still scared and I'm still shaking and I'm still afraid of what might happen at school with our friends and our teachers. So that was actually earlier today on the drive here where we got a call from our parents and they were like, are you okay? It was really scary. Despite everything, I'm proud to be of a generation who stands and doors survives and fights for what we believe in. We can't do this alone. I'm telling you that we need help. I hope you'll think about if you can send us emails or whatever, the last group identify something that's critical in this whole process. You know who these kids are. You see these signs and if you say something to authorities that there's the hope of this bill that they will act and protect all of us from the members. Thank you very much. Joe, I want to pick up Maple on what you said. You're very fast. It's the third grade school teacher. And every day she goes out I have to wonder what will happen when she gets there. This bill is not worth a damn without your participation. You know who your classmates are that have been isolated. You know who the people are around you that are susceptible to becoming a problem. And if you are not able to either cross the threshold and make a report or I would say go sooner to them directly you see them isolated. They're eating lunch by themselves. They are not the members of the great clique. It is up to you to change that paradigm. And that's another way we're going to be able to work this bill and get it to do something as opposed to just a piece of legislation. The most heroic individual in Vermont right now is a young lady your age from Pepsi, New York. We have to have you on the front lines because you are now the proverbial canary in the coal mine. And this bill will not work without your assistance. Thanks for coming.