Gun-Toting New Hampshire Lawmakers Not Required to Take Safety Classes

January 31, 2017

A proposal to require firearm safety training for New Hampshire lawmakers wishing to carry guns on the House floor has been defeated.

Democratic Minority Leader Steve Shurtleff proposed the rule Thursday after a representative dropped her loaded gun during a committee hearing this month.

House rules say lawmakers with the proper license can carry hidden guns in the House chamber. The new rule would have required them to take a speaker-approved gun safety course before being allowed to carry concealed weapons.

Republicans quickly moved to table the proposal, effectively cutting off debate. The vote largely fell along party lines.

On Jan. 12, Republican Rep. Carolyn Halstead dropped her loaded gun on the floor near some children. It didn’t fire and nobody was hurt. Halstead has said she was “mortified” by what happened.

Topics Legislation Gun Liability New Hampshire

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