Gun control advocates rallied at the statehouse on Wednesday, although there's little evidence the Legislature will consider gun-control bills this year.

The display of guns at the Statehouse - a place where firearms are otherwise prohibited - was the idea of Essex Representative Linda Waite-Simpson, the sponsor of a bill introduced this week that would ban ammunition magazines of more than 10 rounds.

The types of weapons that might be included in gun control proposals will be on display at the Vermont Statehouse on Friday. The idea behind the show-and-tell is to give lawmakers what they need to know about firearms to have an informed debate on the issue.

Over the past month several Vermont communities have been calling for tighter gun control. In the Upper Valley, petitioners are encouraging Vermont lawmakers to take up the issue. But the sponsor of the only gun control bill on the table says there isn't enough support to move it forward. 

Many Vermont lawmakers say gun control legislation would be best handled at the federal level. But House Speaker Shap Smith says if a bill is debated in Montpelier, it needs to emerge first from the Senate.

Mayors from seven of the state's eight cities held a news conference Tuesday to outline proposals for the Legislature. Proposals included the call for a state law banning convicted felons from getting firearms, to match the current federal law.

Governor Peter Shumlin says Vermont should not enact stronger gun laws on its own. He says gun laws should be set nationally, not state-by-state.

City officials in Vermont's largest city have passed a ban on assault weapons, despite state statute that prohibits such ordinances.

The right to bear arms is the law of the land. But after an unprecedented series of shooting rampages last year, some state and local governments are now considering bans on assault weapons on their streets.

Sen. Patrick Leahy says he'll support a renewal of a ban on the sale of semi-automatic assault weapons. He says he'll also back a plan to require background checks at all gun shows.

All three members of Vermont's Congressional delegation say it's essential that Congress explores practical and meaningful steps to help prevent another mass shooting, like the one that took place in Connecticut last week.

In Townshend, the Select Board is considering a ban on firearms in all public buildings - a local measure that, if passed, would violate state law.

We talk to Sanders about gas prices, which have been notably higher in northwestern Vermont, Citizens United, FEMA Irene reimbursements, the recently passed Transportation Bill, which provides about $464 million to Vermont, and gun control, in the wake of the shooting in Aurora, Colorado.