For years, gun-grabbing politicians have pontificated about the need for “gun safety” in New Hampshire. Now, as they are faced with a bill that implements basic age-appropriate gun safety training in schools, they’ve reversed course and are launching an assault on legislation that will help keep students in the Granite State safe.
Last week, Rep. Terry Roy (R-Deerfield) introduced an amendment to SB 54, a public safety bill, that would implement gun-avoidance training for young children and basic firearm safety training for older students. If passed, this bill would direct the Department of Safety to develop an education plan using gold-standard models such as the Eddie Eagle GunSafe® program and NRA Hunter Education. Both programs are provided at no cost to any individual who wishes to participate.
These NRA models were selected because they are already being used by schools throughout the country. To date, five other states already utilize Eddie Eagle to teach young children what to do if they ever come across a firearm: “STOP! Don’t touch. Run away. Tell a grown-up.” This program has been recognized by law enforcement, education, and healthcare groups for its effectiveness in preventing accidents with firearms. To date, over 33 million children have completed this training.
As students age, new firearms training would be provided, teaching them basic firearm and hunter safety. This, in turn, would increase public safety, reduce avoidable accidents, and promote New Hampshire’s proud hunting heritage. Additionally, one could argue that it could spark an interest in one of the thousands of firearms-related jobs in New Hampshire, which provides billions of dollars in economic benefits to the state.
Despite all of these benefits to Granite Staters, progressive politicians, led by Michael Bloomberg’s special interest groups, are opposing gun safety training solely based on the fact that the NRA supports it. That’s right, the same groups that claim to support “gun safety” oppose gun safety training. This should come as no surprise, as these organizations, which do not teach or promote any form of training, have never been interested in actual safety. They’ve only ever been interested in gun control.
This type of hypocrisy is not unique to New Hampshire. Throughout the country, so-called “gun safety” groups exclusively support radical gun control measures, including sweeping bans on commonly owned firearms, creating roving gun-free zones, mandating how individuals store firearms, and implementing arbitrary waiting periods, just to name a few. All of these extreme and unconstitutional policies disarm law-abiding citizens, decrease public safety, and ensure that criminals have the upper hand.
Luckily for Granite Staters, New Hampshire lawmakers have rejected these calls for Massachusetts-style gun control and instead continue to pass pro-gun policies that have made New Hampshire the safest state in the nation. By passing SB 54, the state can take the next step in promoting firearm ownership in the state by teaching the next generation how to safely exercise and appreciate their Second Amendment rights.
