Health & Fitness
Most Seacoast State Reps Vote To Repeal Stand Your Ground Law
Most Seacoast State Representatives voted to repeal the unnecessary and dangerous Stand Your Ground law.
The N.H. House displayed admirable wisdom when it recently voted (HB 135) to repeal the controversial Stand Your Ground gun law.
The Stand Your Ground law had virtually legalized murder. Suppose two people argue, and one shoots and kills the other. If there are no witnesses, the shooter can be acquitted simply by claiming that he felt threatened. The dead man can't dispute that claim
In addition, according to the Stand Your Ground law, if the gunman accidentally shoots a bystander, the victim cannot sue the shooter if he survives. If the victim doesn't survive, the remaining family members cannot sue either.
Find out what's happening in Hampton-North Hamptonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Those who had opposed repeal of Stand Your Ground argued that citizens would be virtually defenseless without it. For 34 years prior to the Stand Your Ground law, New Hampshire operated without problems under the Castle Doctrine.
The Castle Doctrine allows a homeowner to use deadly force to defend his family and his property. Outside the home, a person could defend himself with a gun if he could demonstrate that he had used all reasonable means to avoid being harmed before shooting. If Stand Your Ground is repealed, the Castle Doctrine will remain in effect. In effect, the ill-advised Stand Your Ground law has been yet another solution imposed by a heavy-handed legislature for a problem that doesn't exist.
Find out what's happening in Hampton-North Hamptonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Below are the votes on the repeal bill of the state representatives from the Seacoast. D stands for Democrat; R for Republican. Yes means the representative voted to repeal Stand Your Ground. No indicates the person voted to keep Stand Your Ground in effect.
Hampton: — NO: Tracy Emerick (R) and Fred Rice (R). YES: Chris Muns (D), Renny Cushing (D), and Elaine Andrews-Ahearn (D).
North Hampton — NO: Michele Peckham (R).
Rye/New Castle — YES: David Borden (D) and Tom Sherman (D).
Portsmouth — YES: Laura Pantelakos (D), Rebecca Emerson-Brown (D), Jackie Cali-Pitts (D), Gerald Ward (D), Brian Wazlaw (D). Terie Norelli (D), presiding, does not vote.
Newington/Greenland — NO: Pamela Tucker (R).
Portsmouth/Greenland/Newington/North Hampton — YES: Joe Scarlotto (D).
My thanks to the majority of Seacoast legislators who saw the Stand Your Ground law as the unnecessary and dangerous act that it is and had the good sense to vote to repeal it
