A Senate committee is requesting further study of a bill that would have allowed anyone who can legally carry a gun to do so at public colleges and universities in New Hampshire.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted along party lines Thursday to amend the bill in its entirety and to study the intent of the original legislation and potential ramifications.
The House of Representatives voted 188-165 earlier this year to pass the bill, which drew significant opposition at the State House, including from the president of the University of New Hampshire and members of law enforcement.
Besides establishing a committee to study the feasibility of allowing guns on campuses of public institutions of higher education, the amendment seeks to prohibit “public institutions of higher education from enacting rules or policies restricting the possession, carry, storage, or lawful use of non-lethal weapons.”
Any changes to the legislation in the Senate would still need House review and potential bicameral negotiation.
Gov. Kelly Ayotte, who has prioritized legislation aimed at boosting public safety in New Hampshire, has not weighed in directly on either version of the legislation, The Senate committee action, however, signals the original bill’s chances are slim this year.
Senate President Sharon Carson introduced the amendment Thursday.
The senators noted that any study should involve colleges and universities, including community colleges, potentially impacted, including private colleges that receive state funding.
Under the original bill, anyone who is legally allowed to carry a weapon could do so on a college campus in New Hampshire. Supporters say the bill would make campuses safer and protect a person’s constitutional rights.
Sen. Debra Altschiller, a Democrat from Stratham who sits on the Senate committee, said during the meeting that it makes no sense to study it further, given the outpouring of opposition.
“Nobody asked for us to do a study committee because they thought that looking into the possibility of putting firearms on college campuses outside of the scope of law enforcement was an idea worth looking into,” Altschiller said. “We heard over and over and over again that, hands down, this was just a bad idea and that we should not be entertaining it.”
