Adam Czarkowski works in the technology sector and lives in Penacook.

Recently Kelly Ayotte our former attorney general and U.S. Senator announced she was running for governor. Kelly Ayotte’s last campaign was in 2016 when she lost a very close race to Maggie Hassan.

In her announcement, she stated she didn’t want New Hampshire to turn into Massachusetts. She immediately took criticism from New Hampshire Democrats who seem to prefer Massachusetts’s high taxes and anti-gun owner laws.

While Massachusetts is home to all my favorite sports teams apart from my Leicester City Foxes, I think there is a lot New Hampshire does better.

First are taxes. New Hampshire ranks among the states with the lowest individual tax burden. According to wallethub.com, New Hampshire has the third lowest individual tax burden in the country. USAFacts, a nonpartisan data center, also ranked New Hampshire third lowest in the nation.

By comparison, both sources ranked Massachusetts in the states with the top 20 highest individual tax burden. New Hampshire is fiscally responsible, unlike our neighbor to the south. New Hampshire has resisted a state income tax allowing workers to keep more of the money they have earned. Meanwhile, Massachusetts steals 5% of workers’ pay each paycheck.

Another reason living in New Hampshire is superior to Massachusetts is our gun laws. New Hampshire has constitutional carry so if you can legally own a firearm, you can legally carry a firearm. In Massachusetts, they have a lengthy and abusive pistol permit process. In Massachusetts, the processing of your pistol permit can take up to 60 days. Even when New Hampshire required a pistol permit it only took a week, not two months!

In Massachusetts, if you are in possession of a firearm with more than 10 rounds you can be convicted of a felony and be sentenced to over two years in prison. In New Hampshire, having a firearm with more than 10 rounds is perfectly legal. The Massachusetts House is currently drafting even more draconian laws to drive gun owners from their state. New Hampshire has a long tradition of responsible gun ownership and values the rights of gun owners.

When Kelly Ayotte says she doesn’t want New Hampshire to turn into Massachusetts, I agree with her. We need politicians that will be fiscally responsible. We need politicians that will protect the rights of New Hampshire gun owners and sportsmen/women.

We need to elect leaders who will defend the New Hampshire advantage and keep this state moving in the right direction.

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