Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
CONCORD (AP) — House Republicans prevailed in bringing their guns back to the House floor Wednesday, but failed in an attempt to bring back their old leader.
Returning to a policy adopted the last time Republicans led the Legislature, House members voted, 228-149, to allow people to carry concealed weapons on the floor of the chamber. Democrats had banned the practice in 2013.
But an ongoing divide in the Republican party was also on display, with the 239-member caucus splitting evenly on a rule change that would have effectively installed Rep. Bill O'Brien, the controversial former House speaker, as the majority leader.
The party has been locked in an internal power struggle since Republican Shawn Jasper upset O'Brien, the party's nominee, for the speakership. O'Brien's backers argue he should be the majority leader because a majority of the caucus voted for him, but Jasper installed Rep. Jack Flanagan as his majority leader.
O'Brien's backers attempted to change House rules so that Jasper would be required to let both the majority and minority parties elect their leaders. That vote failed 120 to 260.
Supports of the change argued that Jasper, who won the speakership with support mostly from Democrats, defied the will of the Republican caucus by not choosing O'Brien as majority leader.
But Republicans against the change said it is important for the speaker to have a strong working relationship with his majority leader.
When the amendment failed, O'Brien's backers vowed to continue operating with O'Brien as their leader. O'Brien has appointed his own leadership team and plans to rent office space across the street from the Statehouse to work independently of Jasper and Flanagan.
On the House floor, Republican Rep. Sherman Packard strongly urged Republicans to stop fighting with each other.