Hearing on Campus Carry Bill Draws Large Crowd and Bad Arguments

The New Hampshire House of Representatives has already approved a bill that would allow for the lawful carrying of firearms on college and university campuses across the state, and on Tuesday the measure received its first hearing on the Senate side of the state capitol building. There were plenty of folks eager to testify about the legislation, but it seems most of those in the committee room were there to oppose the bill and to keep students and staff disarmed on campus. 

The bill would block any college or university that accepts taxpayer funding of any kind from regulating firearms, as well as non-lethal weapons like pepper spray, stun guns or tasers. Right now, UNH students are allowed to keep guns for hunting or target shooting but must store them at the local police department. This bill would allow students to store weapons in their dorm rooms.

According to several people who showed up for the hearing who manage college dormitories, the atmosphere there is already volatile enough.

“A lot of our incidents revolve around alcohol,” said Hans Hendricks, who has been a UNH resident hall director for three years. “We see it every single week, and truly I cannot say it enough: We don’t need guns added to the mix.”

What kind of behavior is Hendricks talking about? Physical assaults involving drunk students, or just students who’ve had too much to drink? How many of these incidents involve underage drinkers who are violating UNH policy, versus students 21 and older who are permitted to have alcohol in their dorm rooms? 

There are about a dozen states that already have campus carry laws in place, and I have seen no evidence that any of them have experienced issues with drunk students being stupid with firearms. 

Bill author Rep. Sam Farrington, who’s also a current student at the University of New Hampshire, said he wouldn’t object to an amendment allowing colleges and universities to punish students who carry a firearm while under the influence, so long as it was “carefully” worded. New Hampshire does not have a law explicitly forbidding carrying while intoxicated, but reckless behavior involving a firearm is a criminal offense. 

Tuesday’s hearing attracted several dozen students to the State House plaza who held signs protesting the proposed bill.

Emily Hunt, a student at the University of New Hampshire, said she felt safe on campus but was worried that making it easier for people to carry guns would change that dynamic.

“I spent all of my education, K through 12, being afraid of a school shooting, both for myself and for my loved ones,” Hunt said. “And I don’t want that at college.”

Eli Orne, a UNH freshman, said he was concerned that more guns on campus could lead to more suicides as it would be easier for students in crisis to get their hands on a deadly weapon.

I truly don’t understand Hunt’s mindset. There’s never been a targeted shooting on a college campus that involved someone who was legally carrying a firearm. These targeted acts of violence, including recent school shootings at Brown University in Rhode Island and Old Dominion University in Virginia have all taken place in “gun-free zones” where lawful carry isn’t allowed. The “no guns on campus” policy in New Hampshire isn’t stopping anyone intent on murdering as many people as possible from carrying out their twisted plans. It just ensures that any sick soul who does decide to commit mass murder won’t face any armed resistance until law enforcement arrives on scene. 

New Hampshire law already allows adults 18 and old to lawfully carry a firearm for self-defense. Farrington’s bill would simply extend the existing law to cover colleges and universities that accept taxpayer funding. If these individuals are trusted to be responsible off-campus, why would we expect them to behave any differently when they’re on campus? 

 Senate Judiciary is expected to vote on Farrington’s proposal later this month, and given the amount of in-person opposition it received on Tuesday, Second Amendment advocate in the Live Free or Die State should be contacting committee members and urging them to support HB 1793. Farrington’s idea is a common sense proposal, and it would be a shame to see it defeated by the forces of ignorance, fear, and hostility towards our right to keep and bear arms. 

Editor’s Note: President Trump and Republicans across the country are doing everything they can to protect our Second Amendment rights and right to self-defense.

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