On Tuesday, February 5, at 10:30 a.m., there will be a public hearing on House Bill 1354 (HB1354) before the NH House Legislative Administration Committee, in State House room 100 in Concord. HB1354 is the one obvious anti-gun bill in this legislative session; it would prohibit guns in the State House and the LOB (Legislative Office Building). (Link to bill text: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2008/HB1354.html )
First, please contact members of the Legislative Administration Committee, especially if you are a constituent of one of them. We've included contact information for all the committee members at the end of this article. Best: a letter, followed up with a phone call. Second best: email, followed up with a phone call. It's not a good idea to call them too far in advance of the hearing, but if you wait until the night before, you may not reach them; calling on Friday February 1st may be the best compromise.
Please come to the hearing if at all possible; the sheer number of people showing up in opposition to this bill is persuasive to the legislature. Sign the "blue sheet" in the hearing room to state that you are opposed to the bill, whether or not you plan to testify. Please also testify if possible; to put yourself on the list of people testifying on the bill, also sign a pink speaker's card. As always on an important hearing, try to limit your testimony to three to five minutes.
Here are some arguments against the bill:
-- The main argument follows from the well-established legislative question: What problem does this bill solve? Why is it necessary? In fact there have been no misuses of firearms in the State House complex. Representative Jay Phinizy put it this way: "The most convincing argument is that there have been no problems with members of the General Court or the general public; accordingly, is the bill really necessary? It would not be enforceable unless the entire grounds were cordoned off and every citizen were subjected to search. This latter scenario really is not the New Hampshire way, and presumes that the average citizen is not responsible."
-- Unintended consequences: So-called "shooting sprees," including last year's Virginia Tech event, occur precisely where there are gun bans -- which actually attract predators because such places are safe for THEM. Shooting sprees do not occur in police stations or gun clubs. This bill would make the State House and LOB more dangerous, not less.
-- Criminals and mentally disturbed people simply do not pay attention to laws; the only people disarmed are "the good guys" (and women, who need and deserve the right of self-protection even more than men; which legislator is ready to take responsibility for the woman who is harmed by not being able to defend herself?).
-- Many visitors and legislators, including former police officers, are quietly and comfortably armed in the State House complex, protecting both themselves and others. This bill would discourage some people from participating in government. Others would refuse to obey a bad law, and thereby become instant criminals. And bad laws encourage disrespect for all laws.
-- The bill infringes on both the federal and New Hampshire constitutional guarantees of the right to keep and bear arms, and thereby violates those constitutions, which legislators are supposed to uphold.
-- New Hampshire has a large proportion of citizens -- and voters -- motivated by our "Live Free or Die" motto. Any legislator who votes for a restrictive bill -- like mandatory seat belt use, or like this bill -- will invite political enmity among his or her constituents.
-- The bill prohibits knives ("other deadly weapons") as well as guns, but provides only for gun storage. Lots of people have pocketknives in their pockets or purses. This may be a minor point, but it exemplifies the illogic of the bill.
And finally, there is this -- which is only partly tongue-in-cheek: Any legislator who votes for this bill believes that they themselves must be disarmed because they themselves cannot be trusted with a gun. How can such a person be considered competent to serve in the legislature?
Here is the contact information for the House Legislative Administration Committee (note, 17 members):
Chairman: Michael
Rollo
V. Chairman: Lee Hammond
Clerk: Betsy McKinney
Dana Hilliard -- Christopher Serlin -- Roger Hebert
Sarah Hutz -- George Katsiantonis -- Nickolas
Levasseur
Charlotte Lister -- Michael Reuschel -- Sandra
Smith
Karen Hutchinson
-- Elizabeth Hager -- Cynthia Dokmo
Dudley Dumaine -- John Gleason
Lastname, firstname, street, city, state, ZIPcode, [committee office], party [R or D; * means first-timer in the legislature], phone, email
Rollo, Michael -- PO Box 56 -- Rollinsford, NH 03869-0056 -- CHAIR
D
Phone 842-4028 -- Email:
mike.rollo@leg.state.nh.us
Hammond, Lee
-- 57 US
Rte 4-A -- Lebanon, NH 03766-2116 -- VICE CHAIR D
Phone 448-3867 -- Email: lee.hammond@leg.state.nh.us
McKinney, Betsy
-- 3 Leelynn Circle -- Londonderry, NH 03053-2326 -- CLERK
D
Phone 432-5232 Email: betsy.mckinney@leg.state.nh.us
Hilliard, Dana (Mr.) 11
Chabot Street Somersworth, NH 03878-1302 -- D
Phone 343-4114 -- Email:
sshilliard@hotmail.com
Serlin, Christopher -- 89
Sparhawk St --
Portsmouth,
NH 03801-3627 -- D
Phone 436-8184 -- Email:
statehousebusiness@serlin.net
Hebert, Roger -- 373
Lake Avenue -- Manchester, NH 03103-4898 -- D*
Phone 621-0170 -- Email: N/A
Hutz, Sarah -- 1 Mill Street #4020 -- Dover, NH 03820-4587 -- D*
Phone 767-0414 -- Email:
sarah.hutz@unh.edu
Katsiantonis, George
-- 128 McNeil Street -- Manchester, NH 03102-4815 -- D*
Phone 785-5567 -- Email: N/A
Levasseur, Nickolas -- 202
Concord Street
-- Manchester, NH 03104-4833 -- D*
Phone 782-4862 -- Email:
nickman205@comcast.net
Lister, Charlotte -- PO Box 97 -- Chester, NH 03036-0097 -- D+R*
Phone 887-4185 -- Email: N/A
Reuschel,
Michael -- 116
South Taylor Street -- Manchester, NH 03103-3867 -- D*
Phone 669-7121 -- Email:
michael.reuschel@leg.state.nh.us
Smith, Sandra -- 490
Kennard Rd -- Manchester, NH 03104-4007 -- D*
Phone 668-6698-- Email:
sandra.smith@leg.state.nh.us
Hutchinson, Karen
-- 11 Buttrick Rd -- Londonderry, NH 03053-3305 -- R
Phone 434-9415 -- Email: northernpatriot@aol.com
Hager, Elizabeth -- 5 Pleasant View Ave -- Concord, NH 03301-2555 -- R
Phone 224-2060 -- Email:
elizabeth.hager@leg.state.nh.us
Dokmo, Cynthia -- PO Box 577 -- Amherst, NH 03031-0577
-- R
Phone 673-0395 -- Email: cynthia.dokmo@leg.state.nh.us
Dumaine, Dudley -- 104 Windsor Drive -- Auburn, NH 03032-3842 -- R
Phone 622-2293 -- Email:
buppadan@comcast.net
Gleason, John -- 45 English Range Rd
-- Derry, NH 03038-5323 -- R
Phone 432-7279 -- Email: N/A