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By Jacquelyn Benson
The New Hampshire House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on lifting the ban on concealed weapons in the State House on January 7th. In preparation for this vote, the Live Free or Die Alliance (LFDA) — a nonpartisan organization — asked its Facebook members to weigh in on this issue. The results are presented below for your consideration.
An 87% majority of those directly responding the question agreed with the committee's vote to lift the ban on concealed firearms, with 13% holding that the ban should be maintained. 19% of commenters opted to use the question to discuss broader issues. In sum, the LFDA received 268 specific comments supported by 642 concurrences, for a total of 910 citizen responses.
Those in favor of allowing concealed carrying in the State House argued that state legislators should have the same rights as other citizens to protect themselves from those that would do harm. “Legislators should not be prohibited from exercising the same rights as the rest of the citizenry,” one responder noted. Others held that the presence of lawful guns would make the State House a safer place. “The problem with 'gun free zones' is that they create an advertised target for those who would do others harm,” one commenter said. “Criminals don't obey laws,” argued another.
Those who wanted to see the ban maintained believed that guns were not necessary in the State House, comparing it to other facilities such as federal buildings, airports and schools where guns were not permitted. Some stated that protection from criminals should be left to security forces. “Why not improve security and leave the firearms in the hands of trained professionals in places like the State House?” one poster asked. Others pointed out potential risks. “What if a 'bad guy' were able to somehow get my weapon? Happens all the time in law enforcement,” a commenter noted.
Some of those opting to use the question as the basis for broader debate discussed whether the presence of legal guns made people more or less safe, while others expressed the opinion that the debate on concealed carrying in the State House was a distraction. “Seems like there are more important things to be voting on than this,” one poster said.
We hope this information is helpful in making your decision on January 7th.
The nonprofit, nonpartisan LFDA takes no position on this or any issue, as this report is presented as a summary of citizen testimony. As New Hampshire’s Virtual Town Hall, the LFDA community, numbering over 50,000, provides objective information on state issues, promotes the civil exchange of opinions, and communicates views to elected officials. To learn more about this issue or the LFDA, visit www.LFDA.org.
Jacquelyn Benson is an Editor with the Live Free or Die Alliance.
Live Free or Die Alliance
www.livefreeordiealliance.org