NH House Rules Committee Disparages The Rule of Law
Channel: adventures in the free state
Date: 2012-12-21

Having reclaimed control of the NH House, Democrats set about remaking the body's rules in their own image. The NH House Rules Committee meets to hammer out recommendations to the full House on their proposed dictates, 12/20/2012. Specifically of interest here, on the dissolution of the Redress of Grievances Committee and the Constitutional Review Committee, and -- since "gun-free zones" are empirically such a nettlesome hindrance to budding mass murderers -- the return to a more criminal-friendly "victim disarmament zone" in their area of the State House. I feel safer already... You can follow along with your own copy of the proposed rule changes here: http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/2546438/1772889181/name/2012-2013%20House%20Rules%20-draft.pdf. The full House will consider the committee's recommendations on January 2, 2013.

A few points to chew on. Can these provisions of Constitution and law be simply ignored by the legislature?

NH Constitution, Part First, Article 31
    [Meetings of Legislature, for What Purposes.] The legislature shall assemble for the redress of public grievances and for making such laws as the public good may require. June 2, 1784 Amended 1792 generally rewording sentence and omitting "for correcting, strengthening and confirming the laws."

NH Constitution, Part First, Article 32
    [Rights of Assembly, Instruction, and Petition.] The people have a right, in an orderly and peaceable manner, to assemble and consult upon the common good, give instructions to their representatives, and to request of the legislative body, by way of petition or remonstrance, redress of the wrongs done them, and of the grievances they suffer.
    June 2, 1784

NH Statutes, RSA 159:26
    Firearms, Ammunition, and Knives; Authority of the State. --
    I. To the extent consistent with federal law, the state of New Hampshire shall have authority and jurisdiction over the sale, purchase, ownership, use, possession, transportation, licensing, permitting, taxation, or other matter pertaining to firearms, firearms components, ammunition, firearms supplies, or knives in the state. Except as otherwise specifically provided by statute, no ordinance or regulation of a political subdivision may regulate the sale, purchase, ownership, use, possession, transportation, licensing, permitting, taxation, or other matter pertaining to firearms, firearms components, ammunition, or firearms supplies in the state. Nothing in this section shall be construed as affecting a political subdivision's right to adopt zoning ordinances for the purpose of regulating firearms or knives businesses in the same manner as other businesses or to take any action allowed under RSA 207:59.
    II. Upon the effective date of this section, all municipal ordinances and regulations not authorized under paragraph I relative to the sale, purchase, ownership, use, possession, transportation, licensing, permitting, taxation, or other matter pertaining to firearms, firearm components, ammunition, firearms supplies, or knives shall be null and void.
    Source. 2003, 283:2, eff. July 18, 2003. 2011, 139:1, eff. Aug. 6, 2011. 

Also, we'll hear from Rep. Dan Itse, a driving force behind the changes 2 years ago -- changes that directly empowered citizens (but I guess there's my answer, eh?) -- that have evidently proven so horrendous that they must now be rolled back. For the children, of course...