House Bill 334 Controversy

On Wed., Dec. 7, a forum regarding New Hampshire House Bill 334 was held in the Fire Place Lounge.  This bill, which is trying to get passed in the house, would rescind the right for a public campus to form firearm policies at their personal discretion.

It was the unanimous feeling of the Student Senate that this issue be brought to the attention of the entire PSU student body, the faculty, and the staff, because House Bill 334 ultimately affects every member of this campus. Participating in discussion and taking all student concerns and questions were Associate Professor of Criminal Justice Mark Fischler and Campus P. D. representatives Jen Frank and Chief of Campus Police Creig Doyle. 

"Our goal is to educate you about this bill," stated Officer Frank. This education started when Fischler provided listeners with a brief overview of the constitutional background of gun policy. It was only in 2008 that the Supreme Court ruled the Second Amendment, which protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms and protects an individual's right to possess a firearm, apart from those who serve in a militia.

In New Hampshire, it is legal to, with a permit, be out in public with a concealed weapon. House Bill 334 calls into question whether or not it is constitutional for a public place such as a college campus to actually have the right to put restrictions on this law. 

"The proponents of this bill are looking at it as a way to protect themselves," explains Officer Frank. Some PSU students, however, asked the question, what exactly are they protecting themselves from? First Year and Criminal Justice Major Adrian Miniervini gave the example that perhaps the tragedy at Virginia Tech in 2007 could have been stopped by student intervention if the said student was armed as well.

Chief Doyle brought up the argument that a study conducted in regards to the tragedy at VT did not conclude that it would have been a better situation if the campus were armed. In fact, Officer Frank added to Doyle's argument with this general scenario. Say a student opened fire on campus grounds, another student runs up to the shooter to detain him, then a third student shows up two minutes later and only witnesses the second student (who was trying to stop the initial shooter) shoot the first student, thus depicting him as the perpetrator. This slippery slope scenario would continue to no end on a campus where everyone with a gun had a different view of the incident.

"The issue is not the guns," one audience member contributed. "The problem comes when we become willing to use them against each other," she continued. Another component Fischler added to this debate was the way students and human beings in general treat each other. 

"There is a deeper discussion there," he states. "What is really going on? Why the bullying? This kind of talk leads to violence." Violence that some believe will only be heightened with the legality of weapons on campus. Though this does not necessarily pertain to the passing of House Bill 334, this argument definitely gives people reason to thoroughly consider all the factors of this bill and the facets of campus life that it could potentially affect. 

 Until this bill is passed, guns are not allowed on campus. However, Campus P.D. does offer the service of storing student firearms throughout the year.

Questions regarding this bill or PSU gun policy can be directed to either Campus P.D. or Student Senate. Make your voice heard, and write to your county representative with your opinion of this bill.