The governor nixes expansion of deadly force, but allows bills tempering national health care reform to become law.

Much to the ire of state Republicans, Gov. John Lynch vetoed a spate of bills that crossed his desk on July 13. The following day, he allowed a couple of others to become law without his signature.  

Perhaps the most controversial piece of legislation Lynch vetoed was Senate Bill 88, which would expand the state’s deadly force law, allowing people to shoot others in self-defense in public areas without first attempting to retreat. 

In his veto message, Lynch said the bill “would unleash the potential for increasing deadly violence in our communities.” State law already allows citizens to use deadly force in any location as a last resort, he said, but SB 88 could increase public violence and embolden criminals to use firearms. It would also complicate the prosecution of criminals who fire a gun and claim self-defense in court.

House Republican leaders, including speaker William O’Brien and majority leader D.J. Bettencourt criticized Lynch’s veto, calling it further evidence of the governor’s opposition to gun rights. They said the bill enables law-abiding gun owners to protect themselves and vowed to override the veto.

Numerous law enforcement agencies in the state encouraged Lynch to veto SB 88, as they did in 2006 when he axed nearly identical legislation. Even former attorney general Kelly Ayotte, now a Republican U.S. senator, opposed that bill. 

Lynch also vetoed House Bill 380, which would extend the life of the Commission on the Status of Men by two years and add two new board members. His opposition stems from the fact that the Legislature repealed the existence of the Commission on the Status of Women, which has since become a private non-profit organization, but at the same time voted to expand the Commission on the Status of Men. 

Lynch also vetoed Senate Bill 91, which would prohibit local governmental bodies from requiring sprinkler systems in one- or two-family residences. He said the state fire marshal and numerous local fire departments support the ability of local officials to require automatic sprinkler systems in new residential constructions.

He also vetoed House Bill 542, which would allow parents to deem any school course material “objectionable” and require the school to develop alternatives. State law already allows parents to remove their children from particular health and sex education courses, but HB 542 would give parents the ability to require alternatives to lessons on the civil rights movement, for example, or even algebra lessons, Lynch said.

Lynch allowed two bills relating to provisions of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to become law without his signature. Senate Bill 148 blocks a provision requiring individuals to acquire health coverage or else face a fine. Lynch said the state should wait for federal courts to make a ruling on that provision.

A related piece of legislation is House Bill 601, which allows the state insurance commissioner to continue implementing certain provisions of the national health care reform act. Lynch said he supports that portion of the bill but opposes a provision requiring the state to decline $666,000 in federal planning grant funds.

Earlier in the month, Lynch vetoed another controversial piece of legislation, Senate Bill 154, which would remove New Hampshire from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a bipartisan project aimed at reducing carbon emissions.