As House Bill 334 sits in the state senate, faculty and students are waiting to see what the ramifications of this new law could possibly mean for this campus. If passed into law, House Bill 334 would allow firearms to be possessed in any public or private area unless expressly authorized within the pages of the statute.
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This idea of being able to carry firearms in public areas has come up before. House Bill 330 passed last year, allows most citizens to carry concealed weapons without a license; at the same time last year, House Bill 334 was also being considered. However, this time House Bill 334 has already made its way through the state’s House of Representatives.
The Equinox previously explored the possibility of guns on campus within the pages of its March 24, 2011 edition. The article quoted a survey done on the Keene State campus, where 72.5 percent of respondents did not believe that firearms should be allowed on campus, and 90.4 percent of respondents would feel less comfortable with their professors in the possession of firearms during class.
The survey made it clear a large majority of surveyed Keene State College students were uncomfortable with the idea of their classmates or professors being able to carry firearms on campus.
While this survey did not take into account every student here at Keene State College, nor at other public universities across the state, it seems likely that if this survey were to be asked of every student at New Hampshire public universities the answers would still be the same.
The state legislature is attempting to overstep their bounds and restrict the ability of the University System of New Hampshire to make its own decisions regarding student safety and students’ ability to carry firearms on campus.
The University System of New Hampshire already allows each school to decide for itself what is best for its campus. Passing House Bill 334 would force public colleges and universities to adhere its standards for student safety to the new laws. Faculty, staff, and students at public schools know best what will make them feel safer and more secure while attending school. It should not be the responsibility of the state to decide for them.