New Hampshire lawmakers have voted to pare back a proposal to dramatically expand gun rights on New Hampshire college and university campuses.
Under an amended bill that cleared the state Senate by a 14-8 margin Thursday, college students would be permitted to keep non-lethal weapons, including pepper spray, stun guns, and tasers.
The Senate’s amended version also states that “no public institution of higher education shall enact rules, policies, or similar prohibitions restricting the possession, carry, or lawful use of firearms on campus by any faculty,” and it would require public colleges and universities to develop policies and rules to implement it.
The Senate plan also calls for a five-member study commission charged with looking at campus gun policies in other states, safety issues and potential costs associated with changing campus gun policies.
“Numerous questions that we have not addressed need to be in a thoughtful study committee,” said Republican Sen. Bill Gannon of Sandown.
The bill approved Thursday differs significantly from the one passed by House Republicans earlier this year. Under that version of the bill, anyone allowed to legally carry a gun would be permitted to do so on the campuses of public colleges and universities, and schools could not bar a person from possessing a firearm.
That bill was sponsored by Rep. Sam Farrington of Rochester, a Republican and current student at the University of New Hampshire. After Thursday’s Senate vote, Farrington failed to persuade the House to attach the language of his original proposal to an unrelated bill requiring insurers to cover the costs of prosthetic limbs for adults. That bill was sponsored by Gannon, who relies on a prosthetic to walk.
“College students are being deprived of their natural rights,” Farrington said on the House floor, adding that the “only further study needed on this bill is picking up the New Hampshire constitution and reading Article 2a” -- a reference to the clause in the state constitution guaranteeing “the right to keep and bear arms.”
Passing Farrington’s bill remains a priority for some gun rights groups, but others say it goes too far.
Democrats opposed Farrington's bill in the House and said efforts to amend it in the Senate were misguided.
“It’s a bad idea for our students. It’s a bad idea for public safety. It’s a bad idea for our economy, and we ought to just put it to bed,” said Senate Minority Leader Rebecca Perkins-Kwoka.
The bill has sparked protest from some college students and drawn significant opposition at the State House, including from the president of the University of New Hampshire and several members of law enforcement.
Farrington says 11 states now have so-called “campus carry” laws on the books, and none have seen incidents of violence tied to the policies.
Gov. Kelly Ayotte, who is generally supportive of gun rights but who has also put public safety and support for police at the center of her political identity, has said she favors studying the issue further.
