House tables ‘Second Amendment sanctuary’ bill

By: Annmarie Timmins - June 24, 2021 11:17 am

Since 1993, New Hampshire has had a state-run system called the “Gun Line” to help oversee purchases of handguns in the state. (Getty Images)

Local and state law enforcement won’t be prohibited from enforcing Biden administration gun restrictions – at least not immediately. The House voted, 354-19, Thursday to table Senate Bill 154, the so-called “Second Amendment sanctuary” legislation.

Deputy Speaker Steven Smith, a Charlestown Republican, argued for the motion to table, saying that with more time lawmakers could sort out disagreements over the bill’s impact.

The bill was opposed by Democrats, who said it would jeopardize public safety, and some gun-rights advocates, who said it did not go far enough. Similar “Second Amendment sanctuary” laws have passed in several states this year and are pending in others.

Some lawmakers also questioned the constitutionality of prohibiting the enforcement of federal laws.

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Annmarie Timmins

Senior reporter Annmarie Timmins is a New Hampshire native who covered state government, courts, and social justice issues for the Concord Monitor for 25 years. During her time with the Monitor, she won a Nieman Fellowship to study journalism and mental health courts at Harvard for a year. She has taught journalism at the University of New Hampshire and writing at the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications.