Anyone with a concealed carry permit issued by a recognized state or local authority in the state of New Hampshire can carry concealed on school property. It’s the Law. But the Hampstead School Board just declared their school’s gun-free zones without any authority to do that.
New Hampshire, as a Dillon’s Rule state, has not given local government’s (boards, committees, or any elected officials) the authority* to act as outlined here by SAU 55 and more specifically the Hampstead School Board.
So, this is all meaningless. Well, not entirely. To the best of my knowledge, every actual school shooting has occurred in schools where firearms, as a matter of local or state public policy, are prohibited.
Put another way; despite claims that they are acting in the name of safety Hampstead has statistically made their schools significantly less safe.
Excellent job Caitlin Parnell, Karen Yasenka, and the Earl of Metzler, along with the majority that supported this unsafe virtue-signaling exercise with zero chance of being enforceable “immediately” (or at all) as noted in the complete letter below.
GraniteGrok has requested clarification from the Hampstead Police as to whether they intend to enforce this illegal mandate. One of us will be writing a follow-up when we get a response.
Update:
*RSA 159:26 Firearms, Ammunition, and Knives; Authority of the State. –
I. To the extent consistent with federal law, the state of New Hampshire shall have authority and jurisdiction over the sale, purchase, ownership, use, possession, transportation, licensing, permitting, taxation, or other matter pertaining to firearms, firearms components, ammunition, firearms supplies, or knives in the state. Except as otherwise specifically provided by statute, no ordinance or regulation of a political subdivision may regulate the sale, purchase, ownership, use, possession, transportation, licensing, permitting, taxation, or other matter pertaining to firearms, firearms components, ammunition, or firearms supplies in the state.
Nothing in this section shall be construed as affecting a political subdivision’s right to adopt zoning ordinances for the purpose of regulating firearms or knives businesses in the same manner as other businesses or to take any action allowed under RSA 207:59.
II. Upon the effective date of this section, all municipal ordinances and regulations not authorized under paragraph I relative to the sale, purchase, ownership, use, possession, transportation, licensing, permitting, taxation, or other matter pertaining to firearms, firearm components, ammunition, firearms supplies, or knives shall be null and void.
Note: The featured Gun-Free School Zone Image is a generic photo and not in any way associated with Hampstead or SAU 55 – meaning, we are not inferring that they have such signs or intend to use them.
