New Hampshire lawmakers are reversing a decision made in the emotional aftermath of the Parkland school shooting, advancing legislation that would prevent public colleges from banning lawful weapons on campus — a move Republicans argue restores constitutional rights unfairly stripped from young adults. On Thursday, the New Hampshire House voted 188–165 to advance House Bill 1793. The legislation would prohibit publicly funded colleges and universities from restricting the lawful possession or use of weapons, including firearms and non-lethal self-defense tools such as tasers and pepper spray. The bill will now be reviewed for any fiscal impact before moving to the Senate. The vote marks a sharp departure from 2018, when a bipartisan coalition rejected a campus carry proposal amid heightened national concern over gun violence following the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. State Representative Sam Farrington (R–NH), who is also a current University of New Hampshire student, led the charge and framed the issue as one of equal protection and fundamental rights. Farrington argued that the right to self-defense does not disappear simply because someone steps onto a college campus. “College students are adults,” Farrington said during the debate. “They are entitled to the same protections under the law as every other citizen in New Hampshire.” New Hampshire allows both open and concealed carry without a permit, but has historically left decisions about campus weapon policies to individual institutions. The bill passed on Thursday would remove that discretion for public colleges, ensuring legality as expansive as the broader state itself. Representative Farrington rejected arguments that college students are uniquely unfit to exercise their Second Amendment rights, noting that many are already trusted with the most serious of civic responsibilities. “If we’re told students are too immature or irresponsible to carry a firearm,” he said, “how do we justify allowing them to vote — or to fight and die in foreign wars?” Democrats warned that allowing weapons on campuses would make students and faculty less safe, particularly in close quarters like dormitories and classrooms. Representative David Meuse (D–NH) argued that campus carry restrictions are location-based, not age-based, and apply equally to students, staff, and visitors. “These rules aren’t about who you are,” Meuse said. “They’re about where you are.” Republicans countered that such reasoning creates gun-free zones that leave law-abiding citizens defenseless while doing nothing to deter criminals. Farrington emphasized that self-defense is not a government-granted privilege, but a natural right. “Natural rights are not given by governments,” he said. “They are granted by God alone.” Supporters of the bill also pointed to evidence from other states. There are currently 11 states that allow campus carry, and Republicans argued that dire predictions of increased violence have not materialized. Representative Jennifer Rhodes (R-NH) dismissed claims that the policy would make campuses more dangerous, saying states that have adopted campus carry have seen no corresponding rise in violent crime. If approved by the Senate, which favors the GOP 16-8, the legislation would mark a decisive reversal from New Hampshire’s post-Parkland hesitation on campus carry, and a clear statement from Republican lawmakers that constitutional rights follow citizens wherever they lawfully go, including public college campuses.