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Town Lets Employees Bring Guns To Work
Some Residents Concerned About Liability

POSTED: 4:59 pm EDT June 29, 2010
UPDATED: 6:24 pm EDT June 29, 2010
NOTTINGHAM, N.H. -- If you're a town employee in Nottingham, you can now bring your gun to work.

Town selectmen voted on the new policy last week, but it's still the subject of intense debate.

No other town in Rockingham County allows employees to carry guns at work, but Nottingham town leaders said it's a matter of constitutional rights.

"You don't want the employees to feel like second-class citizens," said Town Manager Charles Brown. "All regular citizens can do that, if permitted, so why shouldn't an employee be able to do that?"

The old policy prohibited town employees, except police officers, from bringing firearms into town buildings or properties during working hours. The new policy bans weapons on town property unless they're legally permitted. It will allow employees to carry weapons in places where other residents could.

Some residents said they're concerned about liability issues.

"Now, I'm not against the Second Amendment for people to carry them," said resident Gail Mills. "I just think that there's some places where this isn't appropriate."

Brown said he doesn't think liability will be an issue, but he's still talking with the town's insurers. Mills said she's also worried about safety.

"We have summer programs, the rec. department is there, and having people with guns in the building with kids, I don't think that that's a good thing to have happen," she said.

But Brown said he doesn't believe the more restrictive policy provided greater protection.

"If somebody, whether it's an employee or a citizen, decides they want to do harm to somebody, they're going to do it," he said. "They don't care what was written in a policy."

Despite the new policy, Brown said he really doesn't expect anything to change.

"Nobody's come into work packing," he said.

A board of selectmen meeting is scheduled for July 6, and some residents said they plan to voice concerns about the policy.