Sensing controversy, Gov. Phil Scott privately asked Vermont lawmakers to drop a limit on the size of gun magazines from a package of firearms regulations that was about to pass the Legislature this spring.

The governor was unsuccessful, and in April he signed the magazine limit along with other firearms laws.

"I advocated for them to consider taking that out because I knew that it was going to be a hot-button issue for many," Scott said in a recent interview. "But I wasn't persuasive enough for them to take it out. We'll live with that."

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Scott showed a sudden willingness to consider firearms laws in February after an 18-year-old was accused of plotting a school shooting in Vermont. In the days after the arrest, Scott initially told reporters that he would be open to considering restrictions on magazine size, but took no clear position.

Magazine limits were added to the legislation in the House about a month later. Just before the final vote in the Senate, the governor shared concerns about the magazine limits in a meeting with House Speaker Mitzi Johnson and Senate President Pro Tempore Tim Ashe. The governor did not make his concerns public.

Ashe and Johnson confirmed the nature of the discussion. Ashe said the timing of the governor's request would have made it difficult for the Legislature to change course.

After failing to persuade lawmakers to remove the magazine restrictions, Scott signed the bill, which also included new background check requirements for private gun sales, a ban on bump stocks and a provision that requires people over 18 to take a hunter-safety course if they want to buy a rifle before they turn 21 years old.

Gun-rights activists immediately sued the state over the constitutionality of the gun magazine limit, which prohibits further sales of magazines that hold more than 10 rounds for long guns or 15 rounds for pistols.

Scott has distanced himself from the magazine ban during his re-election campaign, saying in one Republican debate that the restriction "wasn't my idea."

Scott now says he has no plans to seek a repeal of the magazine ban if he wins re-election.

"I think we've had enough of the gun discussion at this point in time," Scott said. "If they passed it and it came to my desk, I would sign it, but I don't see that happening, so we should move on and talk more about the mental health issues and the underlying violence that we're seeing that's pervasive in our society today and see what we can do about fixing that."

Contact April McCullum at 802-660-1863 or amccullum@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @April_McCullum.