Senate adopts study-and-limited-carry compromise on campus carry after marathon debate

The New Hampshire Senate moved a long-standing campus-carry debate forward on Thursday, approving an amended version of House Bill 1793 after a marathon floor discussion that stretched across multiple hours.

Senator Ganon, presenting the Judiciary Committee recommendation, said the committee had sought a balanced path forward after hearing testimony on both sides. "The amendment reflects a balanced path forward. It protects access to non-lethal self-defense tools now while ensuring that future consideration of campus carry is informed by data," he said.

Opponents warned of risks to student safety and enrollment. Senator Alt Schiller said committee testimony and a student survey showed strong opposition: "The University of New Hampshire student body president presented the committee with a verified survey of 2,361 students and 85% opposed this bill," she said, arguing that a study committee would itself create uncertainty that could further depress enrollment.

Supporters framed the measure as harm reduction and respect for constitutional rights. Senator Pearl said the amendment and a later floor amendment would allow better protections for students and faculty than the original bill and offered a chance to address unresolved questions through study and rulemaking.

Floor amendment 1882 — offered by Senator Ganon and debated extensively — ultimately passed. After further debate and multiple roll-call checks, the final "ought to pass as amended" motion passed on a roll-call vote of 14 yeas and 8 nays. The bill was then ordered to third reading.

Why it matters: The legislation attempts to thread competing priorities: some senators pressed to allow wider carry rights in the name of personal protection, while others pointed to testimony from campus security officials and students highlighting possible safety and enrollment consequences. The adopted approach limits immediate expansion of firearms access while creating a formal study process and narrowly expanding what non-lethal devices students or faculty could use, depending on the adopted amendment text.

What comes next: The bill is ordered to third reading; any final passage or sending to the governor will be recorded at that stage. The study committee called for in the amendment will be tasked with clarifying implementation questions (insurance, storage, boundary definitions) raised repeatedly during committee and floor testimony.

Vote at a glance: On the decisive roll call recorded on the floor, the motion carried 14–8 in favor of ordering the bill to third reading as amended.

Attributions: Quotes and paraphrases above are attributed to senators speaking on the record during floor debate, including Senator Ganon and Senator Alt Schiller.