Nearly a month after the tragic shooting in Newtown, Conn., the smoke is still clearing two states to the north.
Around New Hampshire, school officials, medical authorities, public safety officers and other community members have spent the weeks since the Dec. 14 shooting reviewing the state’s safety protocols, standards and laws, ensuring they guard against a similar tragedy here.
So far, they’ve found a mixed bag, they said last week.
In schools, the state’s emergency planning laws, which require districts to develop a thorough and site-specific response plan, are among the most comprehensive in the region, administrators said.
“Talking to colleagues in other states, they don’t have that level of requirement,” said Mark Joyce, director of the New Hampshire School Administrators Association. “I think we’re doing what we can.”
But in regard to firearms, some authorities consider the state’s permitting requirements far too loose. And in the area of mental health, recent budget cuts have left some service providers struggling to treat those suffering from mental illness, leaving the state at risk, officials said.
“New Hampshire’s concealed permit law is very open,” said Enfield Police Chief Richard Crate, former legislative chairman for the state Police Chiefs Association.![]()
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