New Hampshire: Up in Arms
Just how much does The Granite State love its guns?
The second amendment to the US Constitution reads, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
Along with the other nine amendments comprising The Bill of Rights, the second amendment was ratified on December 15, 1971. That was 225 years ago, when Vermont had just been admitted as the 14th US state and post-revolutionary America was only starting to unite.
In light of school shootings' and police brutality’s increasing dominance in national headlines, the topic of gun control has become a major issue on the campaign trail for the 2016 election cycle; the New Hampshire primaries are no exception. Nearly half of New Hampshire households own a gun and hunting is a common hobby. According to a CNS News poll, there is a clear partisan divide on the issue: Nearly 70% of Democrats favor stricter gun regulations, as opposed to less than 25% of Republicans.
When asked how they feel toward stricter gun laws, most New Hampshirites opposed to gun control became angered and defensive. “If the government’s not gonna keep me safe, I’ve gotta take my safety into my own hands,” said one Bedford native. Conversely, most in favor of increased regulation, spoke less passionately and “consider gun control a low-priority issue compared to education or healthcare.”
“The second amendment is obviously popular in New Hampshire, it’s the ‘Live Free or Die State,” said Republican Senator Cruz, referring to the motto on New Hampshire license plates. At his February 8th town hall meeting in Manchester, Cruz noted that once the primary coverage turns to New Hampshire, “suddenly all the republican candidates support the 2nd amendment, but once we move on to South Carolina and past the primaries, most candidates will move further center and leave New Hampshire with empty promises.”
Since endorsing him for the Texas US Senate in 2012, Cruz has been a spokesperson at many NRA events. With nearly 5 million members and an estimated tens of millions of additional supporters, The National Rifle Association is often referred to as the gold-standard among lobbying groups in Washington. The NRA make the passage of gun-control legislation a difficult and consequential decision for politicians. Wayne LaPierre, executive vice-president of the NRA, is an outspoken gun-rights advocate who believes that, “the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”
Tomorrow, after the ballots are cast and the New Hampshire Primary comes to a close, the nation will be eager to see who The Granite State believes should be our next president and just how willing residents are to“live free or die” for their guns.
