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Durham Council adopts resolution opposing proposed campus-carry bill
Summary
Durham Town Council voted unanimously Jan. 12 to adopt Resolution #2026-02 opposing HB 1793, a proposed state bill that would restrict colleges’ ability to regulate firearms on campus; supporters cited campus safety concerns and an upcoming Jan. 14 hearing in Concord.
The Durham Town Council voted unanimously on Jan. 12 to adopt Resolution #2026-02 opposing HB 1793, a proposed state bill that would prohibit colleges from regulating firearms and other weapons on campus.
Councilor Wayne Burton, who proposed the resolution, read the measure and said the bill would allow students to carry firearms, tasers and pepper spray anywhere on campus. Burton said town and university police are trained to respond to active‑shooter incidents and that local public-safety capacity makes widespread carrying on campus unnecessary. "Two accredited police departments trained to deal with an active shooter are in close proximity to the UNH campus," Burton said.
State Representative Loren Selig, speaking during public comment as a Durham resident, urged the Council to adopt the resolution. She cited a swatting incident that left her daughter spending her first night at college in lockdown and referenced the Brown University shooting as reasons to press lawmakers to oppose HB 1793. "This bill is up for a hearing on Jan. 14," she said, asking the Council to make a formal statement opposing the proposal.
Not all speakers agreed. Jeff Berlin, a resident who addressed the Council during public comment, said he supports the campus‑carry proposal and argued the right to self‑defense should extend onto college grounds.
Councilor Curtis Register, a U.S. Marine and gun owner who spoke during the New Business discussion, supported the resolution. Drawing on his experience, he said having more armed individuals is not the default solution to an active‑shooter incident and pointed to the town’s investment in a professional police force: "There's a reason the town pays a police force," he said.
The motion to adopt Resolution #2026-02 was made by Councilor Burton and seconded by Councilor Carden Welsh; the resolution passed on a roll call vote of 7-0. Councilors noted that town and UNH police chiefs, and the former UNH police chief, intended to testify against the bill at a hearing in Concord at 10 a.m. on Jan. 14.
The Council’s resolution is a formal local expression of opposition; it does not change local law but is intended to be entered into the public record and transmitted to state legislators ahead of the committee hearing.
