In 2023, Vermont enacted a law criminalizing straw purchasing. It is now a felony to purchase a firearm for, on behalf of, or at the request of another person if the purchaser knows or reasonably should know that the other person:

made it a felony to knowingly possess a firearm that has had the importer’s or manufacturer’s serial number removed, obliterated, or altered.¹

• Is prohibited by state or federal law from possessing a firearm;
• Intends to carry the firearm while committing a felony; or
• Intends to transfer the firearm to another person who:
  • Is prohibited by state or federal law from possessing a firearm; or
    
  • Intends to carry the firearm while committing a felony.²

It is also a felony to knowingly possess a firearm that has had the importer’s or manufacturer’s serial number removed, obliterated, or altered.³

Vermont does not:

• Penalize a firearms dealer for failing to conduct the  federally required background check on a purchaser; or
• Prohibit any person from giving false information or offering false evidence of his or her identity in purchasing or otherwise securing delivery of a firearm.

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1. Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 13, § 4024.[↩]
2. Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 13, § 4025.[↩]
3. Id. at 4024.[↩]