Gun Org: Election Complaint Will Be Dropped

An election law complaint filed against a state gun owner’s rights organization is expected to be dropped after the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office discovered that updated paperwork by the organization had not been posted online.

At issue was a mailing targeting state Rep. Renny Cushing, D-Hampton, by the pro-gun organization PACkingNH.

In its filing, the organization, headed up by state Rep. J.R. Hoell, R-Dunbarton, and Susan Olsen, a former state representative candidate and activist with the Women’s Defense League of NH, said it would be supporting the Second Amendment with its political action committee. However, in a mailing against Cushing, according to press reports, Hampton voters were urged not to support him because he supported higher property taxes. The mailer was one of a number of mailers targeting Cushing for previous votes in the Legislature. Another said that he voted against ending EBT cards usage to purchase cigarettes and alcohol.

On Election Day, as the results came in, Cushing was tied with Republican Ken Sheffert, another candidate, but won his seat back in a recount after four votes that were challenged due to incomplete marks were awarded to Cushing.

The mailers were one of a few sent out by the org that also targeted Concord state Rep. Steve Shurtleff, D-Penacook, and state Sen. Peggy Lasky, D-Nashua.

A few days after the election, PACkingNH amended its filing statements, including receipts and expenditures, but the reports were never filed online. Cushing filed an election complaint against the org targeting him for voting against the EBT card regulation in November.

Investigators for the AG’s Office contacted the org this week about the paperwork and found out that it was filed last year and amended to reflect the expenditures. According to Olsen, a mix-up occurred at the Secretary of State’s Office, which failed to post the update online.

Olsen in an email said she was wondering whether Cushing “was hoping to create a pejorative mountain out of a molehill in advance of next week’s series of firearms’ bills scheduled to be exec’d in his committee.”

Cushing did not return an email request for comment.