Yesterday in the New Hampshire House of Representatives, Democrats (and only Democrats) voted to pass House Bill 564 (HB 564), AN ACT relative to possession of firearms in safe school zones.
This legislation will turn virtually all of New Hampshire into a gun free zone. This means that thousands upon thousands of law-abiding Granite Staters will become criminals for practicing their fundamental and protected human right to self-defense. This legislation also makes all Granite State school children easier prey for psychopathic criminals.
Democrats know the legislation does both of these things but they chose to pass it anyway and then LIE to their constituents about it. Below is a post from Brentwood Democrat Liz McConnell who claims this legislation simply codifies the Federal Gun Free School Zone Act. She’s lying:
Below is a side by side comparison of HB 564 to the Federal Gun Free School Zone Act:
| HB 564 – AS INTRODUCED
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NH RSA 193-D:1 | 18 U.S. Code § 921.
GUN FREE SCHOOL ZONE ACT |
| AN ACT relative to possession of firearms in safe school zones.
1 New Section; Possession of Firearms in a Safe School Zone. Amend RSA 159 by inserting after section 159:19-a the following new section:
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193-D:1 Definitions. – In this chapter: II. “Safe school zone” means an area inclusive of any school property or school buses.III. “School” means any public or private elementary, secondary, or secondary vocational-technical school in New Hampshire. It shall not include home schools under RSA 193-A.V. “School property” means all real property, physical plant and equipment used for school purposes, including but not limited to school playgrounds and buses, whether public or private. |
Definitions18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(25). (25) The term “school zone” means— (A) in, or on the grounds of, a public, parochial or private school; or (B) within a distance of 1,000 feet from the grounds of a public, parochial or private school. (26) The term “school” means a school which provides elementary or secondary education, as determined under State law.
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| 159:19-b Possession of a Firearm in a Safe School Zone. | 18 U.S.C. § 922(q)(2)(A)
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| I. No person shall knowingly carry a firearm, as defined in RSA 173-B:1, XI, in a safe school zone, as defined in RSA 193-D. Any person who violates the provisions of this paragraph shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor.
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It shall be unlawful for any individual knowingly to possess a firearm that has moved in or that otherwise affects interstate or foreign commerce at a place that the individual knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, is a school zone.
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| II. This section shall not apply to:
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Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 922(q)(2)(B):
[18 U.S.C. § 922(q)(2)(A)] does not apply to the possession of a firearm— |
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| (a) Any person picking up or dropping off a student, provided the firearm remains in a motor vehicle, is not loaded, and is in either a locked container or a locked firearms rack. | (i) on private property not part of school grounds;
(ii) if the individual possessing the firearm is licensed to do so by the State in which the school zone is located or a political subdivision of the State, and the law of the State or political subdivision requires that, before an individual obtains such a license, the law enforcement authorities of the State or political subdivision verify that the individual is qualified under law to receive the license; (iii) that is— (I) not loaded; and (II) in a locked container, or a locked firearms rack that is on a motor vehicle;
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| (b) Any person authorized in writing by the school board or duly authorized designee to possess a firearm. Such authorization shall specify the weapon or weapons that have been authorized, the purpose and scope of the authorization, and the time period for which the authorization applies.
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(iv) by an individual for use in a program approved by a school in the school zone;
(v) by an individual in accordance with a contract entered into between a school in the school zone and the individual or an employer of the individual;
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| (c) Any duly appointed law enforcement officer, properly trained school resource officer, or member of the armed services of the United States or National Guard when on duty.
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(vi) by a law enforcement officer acting in his or her official capacity; or
(vii) that is unloaded and is possessed by an individual while traversing school premises for the purpose of gaining access to public or private lands open to hunting, if the entry on school premises is authorized by school authorities.
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| 2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect upon its passage.
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As you can see, the meaning of “safe school zone” is much different and this legislation is not just “codifying the federal legislation” as McConnell lies in her statement to her constituents. If Democrats really wanted to “codify” the Federal Gun Free Zone Act, it would have been a simple one line bill stating such.
This legislation, as previously explained, will turn your home, neighbor’s home, the street any school bus happens to be on and even the home the school hamster is brought to each weekend, into a gun free zone. This in turn, turns thousands of law-abiding Granite Staters into criminals, overnight. Not to mention, women who carry a firearm because they are being stalked will have to be unarmed anywhere near any school, even if they have a pistol/revolver license, which is allowed by the Federal Gun Free School Zone Act.
On top of that, Democrats have been told over and over again, that gun free zones set up a “beacon” for psychopathic criminals who want to harm children. This is a fact. It’s not made up data like their beloved billionaire Michael Bloomberg churns out. Over 98% of mass shootings occur in gun free zones:
Democrats voted to make Granite State school children easier prey for psychopathic criminals and they did this knowing the truth about gun free zones.
This legislation will now make its way to the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, where Democrats will most likely continue to criminalize law-abiding citizens while victimizing Granite State school children.
