The Vermont Statutes Online
The Statutes below include the actions of the 2025 session of the General Assembly.
NOTE: The Vermont Statutes Online is an unofficial copy of the Vermont Statutes Annotated that is provided as a convenience.
(Cite as: 20 V.S.A. § 2306)
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§ 2306. Rights of innocent owner
Nothing contained in subsection 2305(b) of this title shall prejudice the rights of the bona fide owner of any unlawful firearm, the disposition
of which is governed by that subsection, upon affirmative proof by him or her that
he or she had no express or implied knowledge that such unlawful firearm was being
or intended to be used illegally or for illegal purposes. If the bona fide owner provides
reasonable and satisfactory proof of his or her ownership and of his or her lack of
express or implied knowledge to the Commissioner of Public Safety, the unlawful firearm
shall be returned to him or her. If the Commissioner of Public Safety determines that
the proof offered is not satisfactory or reasonable, the person may, within 14 days,
request a hearing before the Commissioner of Buildings and General Services and the
Commissioner of Public Safety, jointly. The Commissioner of Buildings and General
Services and the Commissioner of Public Safety shall promptly hold a hearing on any
claim filed under this section, in accordance with the provisions for contested cases
in 3 V.S.A. chapter 25. (Added 1983, No. 132 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 2017, No. 94 (Adj. Sess.), § 4, eff. April 11, 2018.)