New Hampshire Senate Blows It on Campus Carry

We’ve seen a number of mass shootings on college campuses over the years, both here and abroad. The shooting at FSU last year is but a recent example.

Despite the fact that the gun-free zone status of these campuses has never been respected by any would-be killer, mass or otherwise, campus carry remains controversial. Heaven forbid we allow legal adults to defend themselves.

But some states have done the right thing, and New Hampshire was poised to follow. The state with “Live Free or Die” on its license plates could have done something about living free.

Yet the state Senate apparently wants to lean into the latter part of that motto.

The possibility of allowing students to carry guns on New Hampshire college campuses is officially dead for the year after the state Senate refused on May 21 to try to work out differences in the bill with the House.

HB 1793, sponsored by state Rep. Sam Farrington, R-Rochester, would have barred public colleges and universities in New Hampshire from regulating firearm possession across campuses, in addition to non-lethal weapons such as pepper spray, mace, stun guns and tasers. 

While it passed the House in February, the Senate balked, first recommending it go to study and then amending it on May 14 to make it so faculty, but not students, could have guns on college campuses.

The House didn’t accept the change and requested a committee of conference to come up with compromise legislation. But on May 21, the Senate refused the request on a voice vote. Farrington confirmed that the move meant that the bill is now dead.

So yeah, they said, “Screw them kids wanting to protect themselves,” and wanted it limited to faculty only–which also would have probably meant parents and other visitors would have been disarmed as well–and then when the House didn’t want to roll with it and instead asked for a sit-down discussion to hammer it out, the state Senate said, “Screw you, too.”

Figuratively, of course.

Why, though?

Oh, I know all of the arguments that were thrown about, but the truth is that there are enough states right now with campus carry that includes students, and these problems just aren’t happening. It’s not a thing.

When there is a problem with some student with a gun, it turns out they were also doing a bunch of other illegal crap and would likely have had a gun anyway. It’s not like these campuses are protected with anything beyond a handful of campus cops, hopes, dreams, and unicorn farts. Anyone who wants to bring a gun onto a college campus can and will.

The difference is that those who tend to follow the rules, who are the ones you can trust not to be a dipstick with a gun, will follow the rules. They’ll be disarmed. 

So rather than allowing New Hampshire college students to “live free,” it seems they’d much prefer they have the “or die” part of that, since they’ll be legally prevented from protecting themselves and others.

I know this is New England, but I still expected better from lawmakers there. 

Editor’s Note: The radical Left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.

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