I have some good news and some bad news.
The good news? Last Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to recommend passage of Constitutional Carry (HB 536).
Your phone calls have made a huge difference, instead of outright killing the bill, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to amend the bill.
And that amendment is the bad news!
The amendment added by the committee weakens the bill even more than the House Amendment did.
While the Committee amendment, in theory at least, leaves in place the central premise of concealed carry without a license, by mirroring ambiguous federal law the committee amendment, unfortunately provides the potential for some NH firearms owners to be harassed for carrying.
If a cop stops you while you are carrying, under the Judiciary Committee’s amendment, you could be forced to prove that you are not prohibited under one of a laundry list of prohibitions the committee added to the bill.
Despite a majority of Senators pledging, during the last election, to support Constitutional Carry, they are now set on giving firearms owners as little as they can.
There is no reason for the committee’s amendment other than an attempt to provide the gun-grabbers one more chance to kill the bill.
You see, if this amendment is adopted by the full Senate, this bill will have to go back to the House another time before it is sent to the Governor.
And, if that wasn’t bad enough, supposedly “pro-gun” legislators are already planning on giving the gun-grabbers even more opportunities to gut or kill this bill.
You see, I learned during the Judiciary Committee’s discussion before they voted on Constitutional Carry that they were expecting Senator Bragdon to send this bill on to a second committee.
The only reason for sending Constitutional Carry to the Senate Finance Committee was made perfectly clear by several Senators on the Judiciary Committee as they openly plotted to add further amendments in the Finance Committee to gut this bill.
Supposedly “pro-gun” Senators seem hell-bent on giving the gun-grabbers, not one, but TWO more chances to gut or kills this bill.
That’s why I need your help again.
- Call Senator Bragdon at (603) 271-2111. Demand that he quit playing games with Constitutional Carry. Tell him to pass the bill NOW with no amendments.
- Then when you are done, call the Senate Finance Committee chair Chuck Morse at (603) 271-4980. Tell him that sending the bill to his committee is nothing but an excuse to chop it up more. Let him know you expect this bill to be passed NOW.
Demand that they pass the bill NOW without any amendments, especially the Judiciary Committee’s amendment, to weaken it.
There are simply no more excuses for not putting Constitutional Carry on the governor’s desk right now.
In Liberty,
Jonathan R. Evans, Esq.
President – NHFC
