Of all the states in New England, the one that isn't terrible on gun rights is New Hampshire. While they have to fight hard to maintain those rights, the state that says "Live Free or Die" on its license plates generally means it, even if the Massholes make it harder than it should be.
Trust me, if I move out of the South for cooler weather, the Granite State is getting a hard look.
And now, a bill seeks to do a lot to expand Second Amendment rights by expanding the state's preemption law.
A bill reaffirming that the New Hampshire Legislature, not state agencies or local governments, holds sole authority to regulate weapons on public property narrowly cleared a House committee this week.
House Bill 609, sponsored by Rep. Samuel Farrington (R-Rochester), seeks to close what he calls loopholes in the state’s existing firearms preemption law after learning the New Hampshire Department of Transportation barred its employees from carrying firearms on the job.
“The intent here is to emphasize that the Legislature’s preemption is the last word on the subject,” Farrington told the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.
Expanding Preemption
New Hampshire’s current preemption law, signed in 2003 by then-Gov. Craig Benson, already reserves regulation of firearms, components, ammunition, and supplies to the Legislature. In 2011, Gov. John Lynch expanded that statute to include knives.
Farrington’s proposal would extend those protections even further—covering stun guns, Tasers, pepper spray, and other self-defense tools. It also bars any state, county, or municipal agency from creating or enforcing its own weapons rules that conflict with state law.
Personally, I love that it expands the language to include any self-defense tool.
Not everyone wants to carry a gun. Not everyone can carry one lawfully.
And nothing in the Second Amendment says "arms" only applies to firearms.
So, with all of that in mind, expanding preemption to include other self-defense tools and making it far more difficult for local entities to try and work around the preemption law is a great thing to see.
Of course, the bill passed along partisan lines, with anti-gunners trying to pretend this creates some kind of messy legal situation for authorities or whatever, but that's mostly just them trying to find an excuse to oppose people's Second Amendment rights without having to acknowledge it.
Frankly, the idea of people being able to carry a gun somewhere, but not pepper spray, is kind of stupid on the surface. The same with tasers, stun guns, or any other self-defense device or tool out there. "Sure, we'll let you shoot them, but God forbid they get a dose of ghost pepper juice in the eyes or something. That's just too far."
I sincerely hope that New Hampshire follows through on this bill. Everyone has the right to keep and bear arms, and those are generally the arms of their choice. If someone isn't comfortable with lethal weapons, then less lethal should be an option, and it's particularly stupid to exclude those when lethal weapons are already covered.
Stop being ridiculous, New Hampshire Democrats. While I enjoy making fun of you, people have to live with the ramifications of your idiocy.
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