On Mar. 6 at 1:30 pm, University of New Hampshire (UNH) students and staff gathered in the Thompson Hall courtyard to protest NH House Bill 1793, the “Protecting College Students Act.” HB 1793, commonly known as the campus carry bill, passed the NH House of Representatives in early Feb. and was referred to the NH Senate shortly after. If passed, the bill will prohibit public colleges and universities in NH from “regulating the possession or carrying of firearms and non-lethal weapons on campus.”
The walkout on Mar. 6 was organized by the UNH branch of the New Hampshire Youth Movement (NHYM). Students gathered in the courtyard between Thompson Hall and Murkland Hall, and marched out and around campus before returning to the courtyard to hear more student remarks.
Third-year journalism major and Stoke Hall Resident Assistant (RA) Charlotte Hahn expressed her concerns: “I’m just worried about the safety of residents and RAs.” Hahn will be the Assistant Hall Director of Stoke Hall next year. “I’d be appalled if one of my RAs, one of my supervisees, was to be injured while on rounds or responding to an incident,” said Hahn. “I couldn’t fathom having to have that conversation with them or their parents”.
Matthew Stern, NHYM Research and Legislation Team Lead and the protest leader for the walkout on Friday, highlighted the financial impacts the passing of this bill will have on the University System of New Hampshire (USNH). “The university system and the community college system estimate that this will cost an estimated 100,000 to 500,000 dollars to implement,” said Stern. “That will require stuff like beefing up security, hiring more officers, and increasing surveillance systems.” These implementation costs will come out of the university system’s existing budget, as the bill does not allocate additional funds for implementation.
NHYM plans to attend the upcoming Senate Judiciary Hearing in Concord and encourages students to attend and voice their opinions on this bill. A date for the Senate Judiciary Hearing has not been officially set, but NHYM plans to keep those interested apprised of the matter. “We think student voices are very important for this matter,” said Stern. “It affects them directly.”
Ty Wyman, a junior with dual majors in justice studies and political science, announced during the walkout protest that he will be running against Rep. Samuel Farrington this fall. Farrington, a UNH senior and NH State representative for Rochester Ward 4, is one of the co-sponsors of the campus carry bill. Wyman said that he was inspired to run for office partly due to the campus carry bill.
“It seems time and time again House and Senate Republicans have bills that are so wholly out of touch with young people,” said Wyman. “The people on campus don’t want this bill.”
Students and community members interested in voicing their opinions on this bill should refer to UNH NHYM’s page for more information and resources.
There will also be a Q and A event with Rep. Sam Farrington on Tuesday Mar. 10, at 6:30 pm in the MUB Strafford Room. The event is co-hosted by UNH YAL and UNH College Republicans.
