The Carroll County Democrats running for office support sensible guns laws as do the majority of voters in the state and in the country. Unfortunately, you will see that the NH GOP and Gov. Chris Sununu have taken some the country’s most extreme right wing positions on guns.

GOP Legislature and Gov. Chris Sununu Take Extremist Approach to Guns

The GOP legislature and Governor Sununu have carried out one of the most extreme gun agendas in the country and hold views far outside of public opinion in New Hampshire, where 90% of residents and 85% of gun owners support universal background checks. As Governor, Sununu has made New Hampshire’s gun laws the weakest in New England, rejected popular common-sense gun reform, stated extreme beliefs on allowing weapons in schools, and received support from the National Rifle Association (NRA), which has repeatedly praised his actions as Governor. — AmplifyNH

Sununu and NH GOP Blocks Bi-Partisan Federal Gun Safety Laws

In 2022 almost immediately after 19 innocent children, sitting in their Uvalde TX school, were murdered with a high powered weapon that ripped their bodies to shreds – Sununu signed into law the extreme radical right’s bill HB 1178. The bill Prohibits NH from enforcing any federal statute, regulation, or Presidential Executive Order that restricts or regulates the right of the people to keep and bear arms and ties the hands of law enforcement to act. This bill negates the federal Gun Free Zone Act. To be blunt it’s saying to hell with all federal gun laws and also allows guns in schools and police should stand down until someone is actively shooting. Only voting in Democrats will help stop the literal bleeding. 

Voting for Dr. Tom Sherman for governor with support from all the Democrats on your town’s ballot can ensure sensible gun laws in the state.

Examples from AmplifyNH of the NH GOP and Sununu’s Extremist Gun Legislation

• He Passed Concealed Carry Without a License. The very first bill Sununu signed into law repealed the license requirement to carry a concealed weapon, putting him in opposition with the New Hampshire Chiefs of Police. Governor Sununu’s permitless concealed carry law allows almost anyone in New Hampshire to carry a concealed weapon without training, without a permit, virtually anywhere. Gov. Sununu signed this bill four years before Texas Governor Gregg Abbott, who made national news for signing a similar extreme gun bill in 2021.
    

• He Prevented NH’s School Safety Task Force From Even Discussing Guns. In 2018, in response to the Parkland High School shooting, Governor Sununu established a school safety preparedness task force that his administration explicitly prohibited from discussing gun safety legislation. In their report, the task force acknowledged that there were gun safety laws that should be considered to protect students, but it was outside their purview.
    

• He Supports Adults Bringing Guns Into Schools. During a gubernatorial debate in 2018, Sununu went even further and stated that he believes it is a constitutional right for adults to bring concealed guns into school buildings. This is in-line with his extreme position that schools should not be gun-free zones in New Hampshire. In other words, if any random person walks into a school, police can’t legally stop them, until they start to shoot.
    

• He Exempted “The Display of a Firearm” From List of Reckless Conduct. In 2021, Governor Sununu signed a law which added “the display of a firearm” to the list of exceptions for reckless conduct in New Hampshire. This exemption could allow domestic abusers and gun extremists to flash or wave a firearm during an argument without repercussion. In other words, if your neighbor and you have a dispute, the next time you walk past their house that can aim a gun at your head the whole time without recourse.
   

• He Vetoed Common-Sense Gun Safety Legislation. Governor Sununu is solely responsible for blocking common-sense gun safety laws to make our state safer. In 2019, Sununu vetoed legislation that would have required universal background checks and closed the ‘Gun Show Loophole,’ he stopped a bill that would have instituted a 3-day waiting period for purchasing a firearm, and after a string of deadly mass shootings across the country he prevented legislation to establish schools as gun-free zones. The NRA subsequently praised his actions in a press release.
    

• He Vetoed a Red Flag Bill. Just a year later, Governor Sununu rejected a bill that would have put in place an extreme-risk protection order that would allow guns to be taken from individuals who pose a risk for suicide as the state reeled from the outcomes of a global pandemic. Other states that have passed similar legislation have demonstrably saved lives, especially in a potential suicide or domestic violence situation.

In the past Carroll County legislators Tom Buco, Anita Burroughs, Jerry Knirk, Chris McAleer, Steve Woodcock and Dr. William Marsh have voted to stop the reckless gun legislation passed by the Republicans. They are running again (Dr. Marsh for Senate.) Please vote in November for all Democrats on your town ballot, and stop the extremism by ensuring we have a new Democratic governor and Democratic majorities in the state house and senate. Our Carroll County Democratic incumbents and new candidates are counting on you.