New Hampshire Campus Carry Bill has Good Chance of Passage

January 25, 2026
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New Hampshire's push for campus carry is heating up, and gun owners across the Granite State—and beyond—should be paying close attention. HB 1631, freshly introduced in the General Court, would finally allow permitted adults to exercise their Second Amendment rights on public college campuses, treating them like the constitutional equalizers they are rather than no-go zones for self-defense. With the GOP holding supermajorities in both legislative chambers and a pro-2A governor in Chris Sununu (who's signed similar expansions before), this bill isn't some pie-in-the-sky dream—it's got real legs for a 2026 passage. Early buzz from insiders pegs its odds as strong, especially as it rides the momentum of New Hampshire's already permissive carry laws, where constitutional carry has been the norm since 2017. What's clever about this move? It's not just slapping holsters on coeds; it's a surgical strike against the gun-free zone myth that's turned campuses into soft targets for active shooters, from Virginia Tech to Uvalde-adjacent tragedies. Data from the Crime Prevention Research Center shows these zones attract 98% of mass public shootings since 1950—yet anti-2A activists cling to them like a security blanket. HB 1631 flips the script, recognizing that 21-year-olds trusted with AR-15s in the military or bars shouldn't suddenly become helpless on lecture hall turf. For the 2A community, passage here could be the domino that topples similar bans in red-leaning states like Florida or Texas, proving armed students deter crime without a single Wild West shootout (permit holders are statistically less likely to commit crimes anyway). The implications ripple far: a win in NH normalizes campus carry as commonsense policy, pressuring blue-state holdouts and bolstering national reciprocity pushes. If it stalls, expect the usual fearmongering from Giffords or Everytown, but with NH's live-free-or-die ethos, that's unlikely. 2A warriors, rally your reps now—this isn't just a bill; it's a beacon for restoring rights where they're needed most. Eyes on Concord, folks; victory's in sight.

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New Hampshire’s push for campus carry is heating up, and gun owners across the Granite State—and beyond—should be paying close attention. HB 1631, freshly introduced in the General Court, would finally allow permitted adults to exercise their Second Amendment rights on public college campuses, treating them like the constitutional equalizers they are rather than no-go zones for self-defense. With the GOP holding supermajorities in both legislative chambers and a pro-2A governor in Chris Sununu (who’s signed similar expansions before), this bill isn’t some pie-in-the-sky dream—it’s got real legs for a 2026 passage. Early buzz from insiders pegs its odds as strong, especially as it rides the momentum of New Hampshire’s already permissive carry laws, where constitutional carry has been the norm since 2017.

What’s clever about this move? It’s not just slapping holsters on coeds; it’s a surgical strike against the gun-free zone myth that’s turned campuses into soft targets for active shooters, from Virginia Tech to Uvalde-adjacent tragedies. Data from the Crime Prevention Research Center shows these zones attract 98% of mass public shootings since 1950—yet anti-2A activists cling to them like a security blanket. HB 1631 flips the script, recognizing that 21-year-olds trusted with AR-15s in the military or bars shouldn’t suddenly become helpless on lecture hall turf. For the 2A community, passage here could be the domino that topples similar bans in red-leaning states like Florida or Texas, proving armed students deter crime without a single Wild West shootout (permit holders are statistically less likely to commit crimes anyway).

The implications ripple far: a win in NH normalizes campus carry as commonsense policy, pressuring blue-state holdouts and bolstering national reciprocity pushes. If it stalls, expect the usual fearmongering from Giffords or Everytown, but with NH’s live-free-or-die ethos, that’s unlikely. 2A warriors, rally your reps now—this isn’t just a bill; it’s a beacon for restoring rights where they’re needed most. Eyes on Concord, folks; victory’s in sight.

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