Leave it to the Associated Press to frame a firearm faux pas as a potential threat to children:

A lawmaker rushing to take her seat at the Statehouse for a public hearing on the merits of full-day kindergarten dropped her loaded gun on the floor near some children, but it didn’t fire and nobody was hurt.

Although it’s ignorant to imply that a loaded gun with the safety on could fire on it’s own after hitting the floor, the news story can serve to spark a discussion on gun safety.

On Thursday, Rep. Carolyn Halstead’s gun fell off her waistband as she was taking her seat in a House Education Committee meeting. Halstad said she was “mortified” after her backpack caught on her firearm as she took it off, causing it to fall onto the statehouse floor. Although several children were seated nearby, Halstad quickly recovered her firearm and put it back into her bag without disrupting the hearing.

“I’m still unnerved,” she said. The lawmaker, who practices gun safety religiously, said, “I don’t want people to be afraid.”

In a statement regarding the incident, House Speaker Shawn Jasper said, “The firearm owner bears the responsibility of maintaining control of said firearm at all times. Unfortunately, proper control was not exhibited in this instance. I have impressed upon her that, while no harm came from this incident, her lack of control is unacceptable.”

But that’s not the only behavior coming from the statehouse to raise eyebrows over firearms.

On Tuesday, Rep. Sherry Frost tweeted her commitment to “calling out the fuc@%ery” on gun laws and asked her constituents to stand with her:

I'm perfectly willing to stand alone calling out all the fuckery, but it would feel a whole lot better to know someone's standing with me.

— Sherry Frost 🆘 🏳️‍🌈🖤 (@frostnhstaterep) January 11, 2017

To what fuckery do you refer? There's a LONG list…a really really really really really really long list.

— Dottie Never Surrenders (@WhiteTrashGal) January 11, 2017

my current focus is #RTW & #gunnut fuckery in #nhpolitics. I'm 1 person w/ 24 hrs a day, but I do what I can

— Sherry Frost 🆘 🏳️‍🌈🖤 (@frostnhstaterep) January 11, 2017

.@frostnhstaterep @WhiteTrashGal @scoutinfinity Such class from a #NHHouse Rep. And you're actually an English teacher? #NHpolitics

— Kimberly Morin (@Conservativeind) January 11, 2017

https://twitter.com/VSullivan4NH/status/819168073303425026

https://twitter.com/AdamSamuelsNH/status/819172112564948992

“Rep. Sherry Frost’s behavior is crude, extremely inappropriate, and beneath the dignity of her office,” said GOP state chairwoman Jennifer Horn. “As the mother of a student at the University of New Hampshire, I am especially appalled by her reprehensible conduct giver her position as an Adjunct Professor at the school.”

And once again, although the kids in the statehouse were perfectly safe, it all came back full circle to Rep. Halstead’s firearm faux pas:

I call on you to use profanity, but please stop dropping loaded guns around kids.

— David Yankovich (@DavidYankovich) January 12, 2017

Guys: Let’s make sure that our firearms are secure. They already hate us and despise our right to keep and bear arms, let’s not give them any additional ammunition to fire at us.