Hiring armed guards to patrol the New Hampshire State House is proof positive that the Republican-led Legislature doesn’t trust their own ruling to allow conceal/carry of firearms in the building.
They have put themselves and others in harm’s way to accommodate the gun lobby. By allowing armed citizens in the state house, they are staking the claim that guns are not a threat. Arming guards concedes that a shooting is more than a remote possibility and therefore guns are a threat. They can’t have it both ways.
Armed citizens and armed guards escalate both sides of a potential conflict and can end in tragedy. Since the guards aren’t allowed to disarm citizens, a perpetrator need only draw a weapon and open fire. It doesn’t matter how many armed guards are available, they can only respond to an attack in progress and someone will already be injured or dead before the situation can be contained.
Are these elected officials really so callous as to blatantly put people in danger for politics? Is it responsible government when lawmakers don’t even believe the laws they pass? How many other laws are these members crafting that throw their constituents under the bus to appease special interests?
Conceal/carry is not a constitutional guarantee. To secure the state house, they need to say no guns. But they lack courage of conviction to admit that restricting guns can be effective.
I only hope no one dies for their lack of courage.
John Lunn
Newport