(WSVN) - A Vermont lawmaker is working to make it illegal for people under the age of 21 to use cellphones.
State Sen. John Rodgers introduced S.212 Tuesday.
If passed, the bill would prohibit the possession of cellphones by people 21 and younger.
The bill cites traffic safety concerns as justification for the extreme measure.
“The use of cell phones while driving is one of the leading killers of teenagers in the United States,” the bill reads. “According to the United States Department of Transportation, cell phones are involved in 1.6 million automobile crashes each year, causing half a million injuries and 6,000 deaths.”
The bill also notes the use of cell phones for cyberbullying and how they can be used to access the internet where teens can be radicalized and recruited as terrorists.
The bill also mentions that cell phones have often been used by mass shooters to research previous shootings.
“In light of the dangerous and life-threatening consequences of cell phone use by young people, it is clear that persons under 21 years of age are not developmentally mature enough to safely possess them,” the bill reads, “just as the General Assembly has concluded that persons under 21 years of age are not mature enough to possess firearms, smoke cigarettes, or consume alcohol.”
If passed, violators face a year behind bars and a fine of up to $1,000.
Rodgers told the Barre Montepelier Times Argus that he knows the bill won’t pass, but he wanted to make a point by having the bill present a cellphone as being more dangerous than a gun.
Rodgers also told the paper he’s a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and the Legislature “seems bent on taking away our Second Amendment rights.”
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