On March 10, 2026, State Representative and UNH Senior, Sam Farrington, hosted a question and answer session in the MUB Strafford Room sponsored by the UNH College Republicans and UNH Young Americans for Liberty.
As students and community members filed into the room, ground rules were displayed on the screen at the front, reading, “Respect. Assume positive intent. Attack ideas, not people. Listen to understand first.”
Individuals with questions and remarks over the bill stepped up to the microphone in the center of the room, facing Farrington, seated on stage.
One of the first to speak was Durham resident Michael Behrendt, in strong opposition to the campus carry bill. He turned to the audience and asked, “How many of you feel safe on campus?” A majority of the room raised their hands. “How many of you do not feel safe on campus?” Four men raised their hands.
Behrendt, also a father of two daughters, said, “If I was here with my child on a campus tour and I see students with a gun, I’d say to my tour guide, ‘What’s the story here? They’d say the state passed a law last year- open carry. I would say, forget it. We are not coming here.”
Farrington responded, “You know it’s actually legal to carry on campus right now? This bill allows students to sue the school for infringing on their constitutional rights.”
In response to worries about mass shooting incidents and this bill creating even more danger and fears on campus, Farrington brought up a 2022 shooting at a mall in Greenwood, Indiana. A gunman opened fire, killing three people and wounding two more. Elijah Dickens was on scene, legally carrying a Glock handgun, and killed the shooter.
“Up to 36% of all active shooter incidents are stopped by the good guy with the gun,” said Farrington.
Junior Ty Wyman countered, questioning the likelihood of this specific scenario occurring on UNH’s campus. “Do you think the bill providing no training, no education, no ability to actually have gun safety will lead to an outcome of mass gun knowledge and gun skill in a university?”
Many students voiced their fears over the bill and questioned whether further measures would be taken to keep students on campus safe.
Farrington said since UNH is opposed to the bill, he would like an armed police officer in every building, preferably every room, although that’s unrealistic. “Going forward, once the bill becomes law, I hope to work with the University Police so that they can offer training and guidance to both students who want to bear arms and those who decide not to,” said Farrington.
Sophomore Sloane Smith brought up the issue of women’s safety, recounting that Farrington had said the bill would help women feel safer. “Have you thought about the possibility that maybe a gun would be used to coerce a sexual assault, and how do you think this is going to make women, specifically, on campus feel safer?” said Smith.
“I actually believe that it will allow females to protect themselves on campus. It will empower them. Because you know, it’s not just firearms in the bill, it’s non-lethal weapons as well; tasers, pepper spray,” Farrington responded. “What better way of combating that (sexual assault) than allowing them to defend themselves?”
Smith also brought up the fact that the leading cause of gun deaths in the US is suicide. “My problem is that there is now a new concern of somebody using a gun to kill themselves on campus in their dorms, where other kids can hear that gunshot.”
“People use cars to commit suicide, I don’t think we should ban cars for everybody,” said Farrington.
“If I would have known that you would have been the primary sponsor of this bill, I wouldn’t have transferred here. This does not make me feel safer. Not everyone feels safer because of this,” said Smith.
Throughout the question and answer session, a majority of speakers were in slight or full opposition to the bill and were attempting to understand the need for it on the UNH campus.
“When I read the Constitution, when I read the Federalist Papers, and I look into the intent of the founders who drafted these documents, it was very clear that they wanted to protect the rights of the minority, even when there was a majority. Individual rights need to be respected,” said Farrington. “How does me exercising my right to bear arms infringe on any of your rights?”
