Concord — On Thursday afternoon, the speaker’s office was made aware of the fact that a member of the House, while taking a seat in a committee room during a hearing, had her handgun present in full view of the public as she removed her backpack.
The following statement was issued by Speaker Jasper following a meeting with the representative in his office. The Concord Monitor identified her as Rep. Carolyn Halstead, a Milford Republican, and said the handgun fell to the floor, but didn’t discharge, during a House hearing on full-day kindergarten Thursday.
“The safety of the members and the public is always of paramount concern to me. The firearm owner bears the responsibility of maintaining control of said firearm at all times. Unfortunately proper control was not exhibited in this instance. I have impressed upon her that, while no harm came from this incident, her lack of control is unacceptable.”