Rep. David Cote is House Democratic Leader and Steve Shurtleff is former House Speaker.
House Republican Majority Leader Rep. Jason Osborne recently said he “could not tell you” why stronger gun laws would benefit New Hampshire and argued that we “don’t have a problem” with gun violence. Days after these statements, Gov. Sununu signed HB 1178, an extreme bill prohibiting New Hampshire from enforcing federal firearms laws and regulations and barring NH law enforcement from assisting federal agencies like ATF and FBI with such enforcement.
Sununu’s endorsement of this dangerous law to ostracize New Hampshire from the rest of the country came just before the U.S. Congress passed, and President Biden signed, the most significant bipartisan gun safety legislation in 30+ years.
With actual bipartisan progress in Washington on gun violence, New Hampshire Republicans now leave our communities and schools vulnerable and without the express ability to enforce federal law like the Gun Free School Zones Act or expanded background checks that close loopholes allowing domestic abusers to get firearms. By exclaiming that New Hampshire will not enforce laws and policies to keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous individuals, Republicans have signaled to criminals that “NH is open for business” for illegal firearms trafficking and criminal activity.
If Republicans really believe we do not have a problem with gun violence in New Hampshire, they might be shocked to read the paper or turn on the local news. In just the past month, a pregnant woman was the victim of a stray bullet in Manchester, two sets of couples were shot and killed in Gorham and Concord, a woman was murdered by her husband who subsequently killed himself with a firearm in Alstead, a road rage incident left a Granite Stater seriously injured and patrons experienced gunfire at a local family restaurant in Nashua.
Gun violence is an American epidemic from which no state is immune. The tragic statistics tell the story that Republicans ignore: Gun deaths in New Hampshire have increased almost 40% since 2011 compared to a 33% increase nationwide. Tragically, too, gun suicides in New Hampshire have increased 61% compared to a 12% increase nationwide, according to EveryTown.
If loss of life is not enough reason for safe firearm policy, perhaps Republicans might also be shocked to learn that gun violence costs New Hampshire $933 million each year, of which taxpayers contribute $17.6 million. These costs include physical and mental health care, law enforcement response and investigation, court costs, incarceration, and loss of work, among others.
Now, with the passage of HB 1178, New Hampshire stands to lose out on millions in grant dollars to help address mental health, school safety, firearms trafficking, drug and human trafficking, and other initiatives from the federal government, all because Republicans want to advance an extremist agenda with no regard for Granite Staters safety.
Yes, New Hampshire is no stranger to gun violence. Tragically, we were one of the first states in America to experience a school shooting event in 1985 at Concord High School. There were no protocols for active shooter emergencies when a student entered the high school with a rifle, threatening classmates, administrators, and law enforcement officers. Now, New Hampshire students must suffer through multiple active shooter drills a year and still no substantive policy has been enacted to keep weapons out of the hands of bad actors.
Under current NH law, it is still legal to carry a firearm, concealed or not, on school grounds and Republicans refuse to change the law. With the passage of HB 1178, NH law enforcement faces a gray area in how to enforce the federal Gun Free School Zones Act given it is not mirrored in NH statute. House and Senate Democrats alongside NH county sheriffs have asked the Attorney General for guidance and have been met with even less clarity on how the extreme legislation will impact our state.
While dozens of New Hampshire school boards, teachers and administrators have been asking for the right to prohibit firearms on their own campuses, in 2019 Governor Sununu vetoed Democratic legislation to do just that. Call it partisan spin? The same law would’ve empowered certain individuals like school resource officers or designated teachers to carry concealed weapons should they be trained to do so.
To make matters worse, just last year Governor Sununu signed a law removing the brandishing of a firearm from the reckless conduct statute. Consequently, it is now perfectly legal for someone in an elevated conversation with a teacher, guidance counselor, sports coach or administrator to gesture to a firearm in their holster, unnecessarily escalating conflict with no recourse.
The families, friends, colleagues and neighbors of Granite State gun violence victims know all too well that gun violence is a problem in New Hampshire. For decades, they have shown up at the State House to testify to their experiences as survivors of gun violence in our communities and Republicans have refused to respond with a solution.
Ironically, in responding to calls for a solution in 2018, Governor Sununu said that “the federal level is the appropriate place” for firearms legislation. Now, Sununu has changed his tune and completely ostracized Granite Staters and our law enforcement from national efforts to curb gun violence.
It’s clear, every day Granite Staters, educators and law enforcement could “tell you why” we need policies to protect public safety. The question is: will the Republican governor and legislature listen?