Pro-Gun New Hampshire - Legislation

HB1354 House Floor Vote -- Roll Call (Bill Defeated, 279 to 19)

Sam Cohen — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:23:52 -0500

March 19, 2008: Yesterday, the NH House of Representatives voted 279 to 19 to defeat Representative Eleanor Kjellman's HB1354, the bill to ban firearms in the State House and Legislative Office Building. Today, she moved for "reconsideration" -- apparently because she inadvertently voted against her own bill yesterday. Her motion failed, 249 to 56.

The following 19 reps voted FOR the bill yesterday (note, a "Nay" vote means disagreement with the committee recommendation to kill the bill):

Allen, Peter Democrat Cheshire 6 Nay
Butcher, Suzanne Democrat Cheshire 3 Nay
Chase, Claudia Democrat Hillsborough 2 Nay
Cooney, Mary Democrat Grafton 7 Nay
Cunningham, Howard Democrat Carroll 3 Nay
Fletcher, Richard Republican Hillsborough 7 Nay
Gile, Mary Democrat Merrimack 10 Nay
Ginsburg, Ruth Democrat Hillsborough 20 Nay
Hall, Betty Democrat Hillsborough 5 Nay
Howard, Doreen Democrat Rockingham 12 Nay
Kepner, Susan Democrat Rockingham 15 Nay
Levesque, Melanie Democrat Hillsborough 5 Nay
Moody, Marcia Democrat Rockingham 12 Nay
Nielsen, Ellen Democrat Sullivan 4 Nay
Osborne, Jessie Democrat Merrimack 12 Nay
Pilotte, Maurice Democrat Hillsborough 16 Nay
Preston, Philip Democrat Grafton 8 Nay
Weed, Charles Democrat Cheshire 3 Nay
Yeaton, Charles Democrat Merrimack 8 Nay

Here's the full roll call, including "not voting" (note, a "Yea" vote means agreement with the committee recommendation to kill the bill):

Anti-Gun Bill HB1354 Killed in the NH House

Sam Cohen — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:22:09 -0500

March 18, 2008: Today the NH House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to kill HB1354, the bill to ban guns in the State House and Legislative Office Building. Only 19 House members voted in favor of it. We will post the roll-call vote when it becomes available.

House Committee Votes 9 to 1 Against HB1354

Sam Cohen — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 01:56:22 -0500

February 21, 2008: The NH House Legislative Administration Committee held public hearings on HB1354, the bill to ban guns in the State House complex, on February 5. As customary, the bill's sponsor (and its only sponsor), Rep. Eleanor Glynn Kjellman of Henniker, spoke first. Of the 24 people who followed her, all spoke against the bill; nobody else spoke in favor of it. Among those testifying were five state representatives (Daniel Eaton, Jay Phinizy, David Welch, John Tholl, and Fran Wendelboe), including three Advisors of Pro-Gun New Hampshire (Phinizy, Welch, and Tholl); three other PGNH Advisors (Stretch Kennedy, Rose Vinci, and Chris Vinci); and two PGNH Directors (Sam Cohen, who testified on behalf of PGNH, and Richard Aldrich). Other PGNH lapel pins were visible in the room, including those worn by at least two others who testified against the bill.

Room change for HB1354 hearing Tuesday, February 5

Sam Cohen — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 21:10:14 -0500

The House Legislative Administration Committee changed the hearing location for HB1354 from State House room 100 to LOB (Legislative Office Building) room 104. The change was posted on the docket, but not on the "Quick Bill Search" summary. The date and time remain the same: 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, February 5, 2008.

HB1379 hearing scheduled for Tuesday, January 29

Sam Cohen — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:13:52 -0500

Public hearing now scheduled: Tuesday, January 29, 2008, 11:00 a.m.
House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, LOB Room 204

HB1379, "relative to the authority of state agencies to prohibit state employees from lawfully carrying a firearm"

Link to bill text: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2008/HB1379.html

SUPPORT

This bill provides that no state agency shall prohibit any state employee, or other person who contracts with the state, from lawfully carrying a firearm on his or her person while on or in property owned or leased by the state, unless otherwise prohibited by law.

LEGISLATIVE ALERT FOR HB1354 -- PUBLIC HEARING FEBRUARY 5, 2008

Sam Cohen — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:30:11 -0500

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.

State legislative alert for 2008 session, posted 1/4/08

Sam Cohen — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 00:06:55 -0500

All bills for the 2008 session of the New Hampshire state legislature have been filed. There is only one obviously anti-gun bill, HB1354; its public hearing is on February 5. We will post another article about this bill, including contact information for the members of the appropriate House committee, in the next two weeks.

In September of 2007, State Representative Jason Bedrick, an Advisor to Pro-Gun New Hampshire, met with several other pro-gun legislators and several Directors and Advisors of Pro-Gun New Hampshire to discuss what pro-gun bills should be submitted for the 2008 session. In particular, Reps Al Baldasaro, Andrew Renzullo, and Connie Soucy agreed to introduce bills HB1474, HB1476, HB1265, and HB1379; Representative David Welch (also an Advisor of Pro-Gun New Hampshire) had already been working on another pro-gun bill, HB1407.

NRA Bashers -- Nope, Wrong Again!

Sam Cohen — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 11:13:41 -0500

NRA BASHERS - NOPE, WRONG AGAIN!

By Evan Nappen, Esq.

December 20, 2007

"Nope, wrong again!" says Rafiki, the anthropomorphized monkey in The Lion King as he hits his wayward student on the head with his staff. Well, the so-called "no-compromise" NRA Bashers have again firmly sided with the extreme anti-gun movement in their opposition to the recently amended HR 2640, which now awaits the President's signature to become law. The NRA Bashers are wrong again and need a whack from Rafiki's staff. Here is the proof. In a recent news release, the notoriously anti-gun Violence Policy Center stated:

Comments on Attorney Nappen’s article on HR 2640

Sam Cohen — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 11:49:01 -0400

Pro-Gun New Hampshire has received a number of comments about Evan Nappen's article on Congressional bill HR 2640, "Enough NRA Bashing!"; almost all have focused on the phrase "other lawful authority" in the Code of Federal Regulations (27CFR478.11):

Adjudicated as a mental defective. (a) A determination by a court,
board, commission, or other lawful authority that a person, as a result
of marked subnormal intelligence, or mental illness, incompetency,
condition, or disease:
(1) Is a danger to himself or to others; or
(2) Lacks the mental capacity to contract or manage his own affairs.
read more

Enough NRA Bashing!

Sam Cohen — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 11:42:31 -0400

Enough NRA Bashing!

By Evan F. Nappen, Attorney at Law

Introduction by the Board of Directors, September 30, 2007: While the policy of Pro-Gun New Hampshire is to focus on state legislation, we have received enough inquiries about a controversial federal bill, HR 2640, to warrant a response. Attorney Evan Nappen, the Executive Vice President of Pro-Gun New Hampshire, has studied this federal bill and researched it at length. His analysis, which follows, is the official position of Pro-Gun New Hampshire.