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WEBVTT DOES NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO ENFORCE THIS RULE. BUT THE SPEAKER SAYS OTHERWISE. >> IS A FORCE PROTECTION ISSUE. TIM: REPRESENTATIVE JESS EDWARDS SAYS ANY ATTEMPT TO DISARM HOUSE MEMBERS CREATES A VULNERABLE ATMOSPHERE INSIDE THE CHAMBER. >> THE NUMBER ONE GOAL OF THE LETTER ITSELF WAS TO SIMPLY SAY TO THE EXTREMISTS OUT THERE WHO MAY BE WATCHING HOUSE BEHAVIOR THAT EVEN THOUGH THIS RULE EXISTS, DO NOT ASSUME WE ARE UNARMED. TIM: THE EIGHT REPS ARE ALSO QUESTIONING THE HOUSE’S ABILITY TO PASS A RULE ON ANYTHING OTHER THAN PROCEEDINGS. >> THE HOUSE DOESN’T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO STRIP CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS, THAT IS A HIGHER ORDER OF PRECEDENCE, WHEN YOU TAKE A LOOK AT WHERE WE TAKE OUR AUTHORITY. TIM: SPEAKER STEVE SHURTLEFF DISAGREES. >> I KNOW NATURAL LAW IS PART OF THEIR ARGUMENT. WE ACTUALLY DON’T GO BY NATURAL LAW, GO BY THE LAWS THAT THE LEGISLATURE HAS PASSED, AND THE RULES OF THE HOUSE THAT THE MEMBERS PAST. TIM: THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THE HOUSE HAS HAD THIS DEBATE. DURING THE 2013-2015 SESSION, SEVERAL REPRESENTATIVES IGNORED A WEAPONS BAN. SPEAKER SHURTLEFF SAYS THE PENALTY FOR CARRYING A FIREARM ON THE HOUSE FLOOR CAN RANGE FROM BEING ASKED TO LEAVE TO AN ARREST. BUT HE SAID HE DOESN’T THINK IT WILL COME TO THAT. >> THE IDEA THAT A MEMBER OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE LEGISLATURE, A BODY THAT DOES PASS LAWS, SAYS HE WILL NOT FOLLOW A RULE OURSELVES, IT SETS A BAD EXAMPLE. TIM: THE NEW HAMPSHIRE SENATE DOES NOT H

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A newly passed rule that bans weapons on the floor of the New Hampshire House is getting backlash from some lawmakers, who are banding together in protest.More than a half-dozen Republican representatives signed a letter saying the Democratically controlled House does not have the right to enforce the new rule, but Speaker Steve Shurtleff said otherwise.Rep. Jess Edwards, R-Auburn, said any attempt to disarm House members would create a vulnerable atmosphere inside the chamber."The No. 1 goal of the letter itself was just to simply say to the extremists out there who may be watching the House behavior, that even though this rule exists, do not be comfortable and assume that we're unarmed," Edwards said.The eight representatives are also questioning the House's ability to pass a rule on anything other than proceedings. "The House doesn't have the authority to strip constitutional rights, because that's a higher order of precedents when you take a look at where we take our authority," Edwards said.Shurtleff said he disagrees with that analysis."I know they referred to natural law as part of their argument," Shurtleff said. "We don't go by natural law. We go by the laws that the Legislature has passed and the rules of the House that the members pass."The house has had this debate before. During the 2013-2015 session, several representatives ignored a weapons ban. Shurtleff said the penalty for carrying a firearm on the House floor can range from being asked to leave to an arrest, but he doesn't think it will come to that. "The idea that a member of the New Hampshire Legislature, a body that does pass laws, is saying, 'We are not going to follow a rule ourselves,' sets a bad example," Shurtleff said.The New Hampshire Senate does not have a ban on carrying weapons, and Senate leaders said they have no plans to change that.