New Hampshire House Republicans introduced H.B. 1739, the “Protecting College Students Act,” for a second time on Jan. 7. The legislation would prohibit restrictions on firearm possession on the campuses of public New Hampshire universities.
The bill’s prime sponsor Rep. Samuel Farrington, R-Strafford said the legislation was a “matter of liberty” in an interview with The Dartmouth.
“In New Hampshire, we have the Second Amendment to the [U.S.] Constitution, but we also have Article Two of the New Hampshire Constitution, which provides that all persons have the right to keep and bear arms in defense of themselves, their families and their property in the state,” Farrington said.
The University of New Hampshire — which is the largest public university system in New Hampshire — currently prohibits the “use and possession of all firearms” on all of its campuses, according to their website. Exceptions to this rule may be granted by the Chief of Police “for instructional or other qualified purposes.”
Dartmouth holds a similar policy, prohibiting “the possession of any weapon on Dartmouth Property without the explicit written authorization of Dartmouth’s Director of the Department of Safety and Security,” with exceptions for law enforcement and military personnel engaging in “official duties,” according to the College’s website.
Head of the Department of Safety and Security Keiselim Montas did not reply to a request for comment.
Farrington said that these restrictions on firearms are “illegal,” citing both Article Two of the New Hampshire Constitution and a 2011 statute leaving the regulation of firearms to the state.
“All authority regulating firearms belongs to the state legislature elected by the people, and so universities don’t even have the authority to have these complete gun bans on campus,” Farrington said.
In an interview with The Dartmouth, Rep. David Meuse, D-Rockingham, said that lawmakers should consider the “lethality involved with firearms these days” and vote against the bill.
“Our responsibility as legislators is not to simply to ensure that individual rights are completely unfettered,” Meuse said. “We also have a constitutional responsibility to make sure that we are balancing individual rights with the right of society to maintain peace and order.”
Dartmouth Conservatives president Jack Coleman ’26 said that while he is a supporter of the Second Amendment, he thinks that college campuses pose a “unique challenge” to ensuring that firearms are safely secured and properly used. He added that he sees “very few” Dartmouth students locking their dorm doors.
“I believe students who go through the proper procedure should absolutely be allowed to own a firearm and keep it in their private personal possession in private homes,” Coleman said. “I would not support allowing students to bring their own firearms into massively attended events on college campuses. I don’t think it’s needed.”
Coleman said that he would be “more concerned” about an accidental firing of a firearm on campus than an intentional shooting.
H.B. 1793 was introduced to the House on Dec. 12, 2025 — five days prior to the shooting at Brown University, which killed two students and injured nine. Farrington argued that the fact that the shooting occurred on a campus with gun restrictions in place showed that gun restrictions “don’t do anything.”
“When you disarm people, people are less safe,” Farrington said.
Dartmouth Democrats co-financial director Reece Sharp ’28 said she was “very against” the proposed legislation. She added that using the Brown shooting to promote the bill was “ridiculous.”
“The answer is to have stricter statewide laws that prohibit someone from accessing a gun to begin with,” Sharp said. “Not introducing more guns to then have a shootout.”
Meuse said that he believes that the Protecting College Students Act has a “pretty good chance” of passing due to the Republican control of the legislature and the governorship in New Hampshire. He noted that gun rights was a “Republican pet cause” and that pro-gun groups in the state usually send a “raft of emails” to legislators whenever gun legislation is coming up.
State Sen. Rebecca Perkins Kwoka ’04, D-Portsmouth, said in an email statement to The Dartmouth that this legislation is an example of how Republicans are “not focused on the issues New Hampshire voters need most,” such as affordable housing, childcare and healthcare.
“As college students, your safety and wellbeing matter tremendously and the state should be using its power to promote the general welfare of all people,” she wrote. “That means keeping our citizens safe, and keeping their costs down to enable their life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.”
Farrington said that House Republicans have identified this bill as “priority legislation.” He said that the bill’s sponsors want to protect college students and their rights.
“When you’re a college student, I don’t think that you forgo your civil liberties,” Farrington said. “At a public university such as UNH, as an arm of the state, they do not have the authority to take away your rights.”
Tierney Flavin ’28 is a news reporter. She is from Kansas City, Mo. and plans to major in Government and Sociology.
