YOUR COMMENTS

Well Dan if Ms. Ayotte is not to be referred to as the top law enforcement officer in the state then she should have that title removed from the AG's official web page. http://doj.nh.gov/

Hopefully the firearm was rendered useless in some manner and hopefully that is verified and explained to everyone in the courtroom.

Yes Dan some judges might dismiss such a concern from a Juror but most would not simply tell a juror to be quiet. Every jury I have served on jurors have been treated with the utmost respect regardless of their questions. It is a legitimate concern to point out the firearm is being handled in a manner to make any bystander nervous.

Needlessly aggravating or belittling a juror is not a good idea, all it takes is one juror to not agree to same conclusion as the other 11 for whatever reason and it results in a mistrial.

As far as her reappointment I could care less one way or another.
- Pete, Dover

Pete, once again...you are looking at a single, still photo. How do you know she did not just "clear" the weapon when she picked it up? How do you know she doesn't clear a weapon EVERY time she picks it up? That pistol cannot remain in lockback, like you suggested, without a magazine in it. Clearing a weapon, having it double checked by another competent person and then handling it in this manner is commonplace amongst firearms instructors when making a presentation. Leave it alone.

You don't like the A.G. You've made that clear. Don't embarrass yourself with ridiculous assumptions/allegations about her handling a piece of evidence.

By the way, she got the conviction in the case involving that pistol. Apparently she does know what she's doing.
- Mark, Bedford

Yes Pete, I'm quite sure you would have asked the judge to have her open the action. I'm also equally sure that the judge would have told you to be quite.

The story is on her being re-nominated, not on proper firearms handling. There are many ways to insure that the weapon is rendered safe, some are actually better than your way. What your way does do best is make it possible to easily identify that the weapon is safe. So I reiterate, give it a rest.

And since I just feel like ranting a bit, all the crap about her being the "Top Law enforcement officer” is just that crap. She's a LAYWER not a COP. She's the executive in charge of an office, not an operational agent of that office.
- Dan, Nashua

Congratulations AG Ayotte, you have been doing fine job and I'm glad to see that Governor made a wise decision to reappoint you. As for most of these comments I couldn't agree more with "Sandy, of Thornton", if the AG was a male there wouldn't be these type of comments. Obviously, some folks have too much time on their hands considering the volume of times they write and they also have an axe to grind as stated by others. The problem with these "blogs" is that they don't require you to have brains and/or common sense.
- Doug, Lincoln

Dan, firearm safety should never be given a rest. There have been numerous accidental discharges of firearms thought to be unloaded by police officers and hunter education instructors over the years. Nobody not even our AG is above fundamental firearm safety. Just last year a bailiff had an accidental discharge inside a NH courtroom. A gun does not care where it is when it goes off, a closed action on a gun means it's ready to fire and is must be assumed to be loaded. She is the top law enforcement officer int he state and if she is indeed holding a pistol with a closed action in a courtroom it's negligent handling of a firearm. it's serious enough that if I observed that happening and was a juror I would politely ask the judge to have the action opened before she continued further.
- Pete, Dover

In a gubenatorial runoff between Mayor Frank Guinta and Attorney General Kelly Ayotte, I'll bet Ayotte is the winner. Don't think it will happen?
- Morgan, Dover

Fantatstic!!! An Attorney General that has the guts to fight the tough fights. Good Luck Ms. Ayotte and great job!!!
- kevin, manchester

I have also known Kelly for a few years, and while she is very nice personally, I do think that she bends over backwards to protect police officers, who do not deserve protection. For the guy, who thinks that anyone who is critical must be a criminal: I have never been arrested.
- Steve, Nashua

Pete, give it a rest. She's in a court room, not your gun club.
- Dan, Nashua

Kelly Ayotte deserved to be re-appointed. She earned re-appointment.

But let no one overlook the political courage Governor Lynch used both times when he put her in that job. While Governor Lynch is very Independent, his Democratic base, his very partisan Democratic base, doesn't like this very much.

Governor Lynch has earned not only the respect of Independents, but Governor Lynch has earned our unwavering support as well. Independents' support of Governor Lynch should be as unwavering as his support for Kelly Ayotte.
- Bob Jean, Northwood, NH

Mark in Bedford, when you enlarge the photo you will see the evidence tag is hanging from the trigger guard. Her finger blocks the view to determine if the magazine is in place. The action appears to be completely closed. Even if the magazine had been removed, if the action is closed it could have a single round in the chamber and be capable of firing. If the action is completely closed the firearm must be considered loaded under basic firearm safety rules. If the action is closed is not safely configured for display and handing in such an environment.
- Pete, Dover

Having known AG Ayotte and her family for a couple of decades plus, I am both proud of Kelly's service to the state and the recognition she earns.

Way to go Kelly!
- JB, NB, NH

I don't get how people think that Addison and the state were better off by letting him rot in jail instead of spending the money to exterminate the cop killer.

If person A is going to end up in jail for a long time, person A would think it's better to kill a police officer and enjoy a few more days of freedom. Heck, why not, person A will be spending life in jail anyway.

The death penalty would have been sought by any AG, Democrat or Republican.

Jay from Concord, maybe you should run for office. You gripe about the DES, the AG, the governor, corruption, overtime.(if you're the same Jay from Concord in the DES/overtime story)......You hand out criticism like there's a reward for it. Pitiful.
- Scott, Pembroke

Tom in Manchester and sharpe in Derry, you both make excellent points.
- Marie, Hooksett

Honesty is the best policy. AG Ayotte should tell the citizens of this state how much the legal fees will be to execute Addison.
- Andrew, Acworth

To Bob from Francestown:

In your attempt to insult the Governor you have instead greatly insulted Ayotte.

The massive hole in your logic is that she was nominated and could turn it down. The last line of this very story requires the AG to be a complete liar if your logic is followed through. She would be voluntarily submitting to the role you have envisioned.

Do you think she would "drub" Lynch in the next election? If so, please explain the logic that leads to that conclusion.
- John R, Keene

Lynch is the ultimate politician. He and sister kelly have worked to protect their positions by every means posible. They have strenghtened the ethics laws which are never enforced and helped to protect which children? Increasing the lenght of time a scumbag spends in prison is no deterent and they know it. Lynch sure knows how to lay it down!
- Peter L, Milford

Pete in Dover:
If you look closely, you will see an Evidence Tag on the pistol. This tag is frequently run throu the chamber of the pistol and out the magazine well, verifying that it is unloaded.

Furthermore, if you knew anything about the pistol in the picture (a Walther PPK) you'd know that you cannot lock the slide to the rear without a magazine in it. For safety, the magazine has been removed. Thus, the slide is forward.

You will have to dig a little deeper before trying to take a cheap shot at the Attorney General. She's done an outstanding job!
- Mark, Bedford

I love reading comments from people with an ax to grind with law enforcement....probably because they have had a run in or two with the law.....but it's always hillarious to think how folks like Sharpe from Derry will be the first to be screaming for help from the police when they get in jam......and BTW.....although correct in pointing out the action should always be open to demonstrate an empty weapon, the firing pin in that pistol had long since been removed....it will never kill anyone again.....
- Jim, derry

She works for state law enforcement and lets not forget the state agencies. What about the people of N.H.? Don't they count?
- Sheila, Nashua

Wonderful person to keep in this position. She's done a great job. Congrats to Kelly! Keep up the great work!
- Ellen D., Manchester

Ms. Ayotte has worked very hard for the State of NH, and this is ONE decision from Lynch that we should all be happy about!
- JAC, Manchester

Great News. She works hard for NH.
- Jason, Barnstead

I am no fan of Governor Lynch's but I am impressed with how he has put the interests of the state of New Hampshire ahead of mindless partisanship.

Although I have disagreed with him on various issues, this decision speaks well of him and makes me have more respect for him.

For those who are stuck in the stupid and useless "Democrat Versus Republican" politics, shame on you. The needs of the state of New Hampshire supercede your silly "us versus them" mentality. Grow up, please.
- Bob Thornton, Milford

I am no fan of Governor Lynch's but I am impressed with how he has put the interests of the state of New Hampshire ahead of mindless partisanship.

Although I have disagreed with him on various issues, this decision speaks well of him and makes me have more respect for him.

For those who are stuck in the stupid and useless "Democrat Versus Republican" politics, shame on you. The needs of the state of New Hampshire supercede your silly "us versus them" mentality. Grow up, please.
- Bob Thornton, Milford

I find the majority of these comments totally offensive. And I will say this:
If Kelly Ayotte were a man - you Men wouldn't be saying these scurrilous, spiteful and nasty things. You are an abomination and deserve the ridicule I hope will be coming from other more intelligent forms of life in this state.

This AG has served NH well and without prejudice. That our Democratic Governor would continue to reappoint an AG from outside his party's allegiance says volumes for her qualifications and her performance. And also for his intelligence.
- Sandy, Thornton

The law enforcement officers in NH must be rejoicing like the little children from Whoville, from the Grinch who Stole Christmas. Just think, you all just got a few more years of freedom from obeying the laws we all have to abide by, and more time to try forget what evidence you saw in a common citizens case, so people can get a fair trial. Wish I was a cop just once. Just kidding, I have a real job and wasn't bullied in school.
- sharpe, derry

Dump her .. she is an insider, protects the fat in the law enforcement community.. she is just another hack..
- tom, manchester,nh

It's time for a primary challenge. If Ed Holdgate thinks this is a good idea, then it's clearly a foolish move.
- Richard, Manchester

This is an excellent decision by the Governor. Attorney General Ayotte has been tops in her job, universally thought of as perhaps the best AG we have ever had. Thank you General Ayotte for your service and thank you Governor for recognizing that her reappointment was the way to go.
- Rick Newman, Nottingham

In the picture with this article the AG is holding a semi automatic pistol with the action closed inside a court room. It is a fundamental safety procedure to have a firearms action open to insure that it is unloaded and there can be no accidental discharge. Regardless of what point she was trying to make the action should have been open. She is the top law enforcement official in the state and she is shown to be handling a firearm in a manner that is considered unsafe. She has been a popular AG but this photo is not intellectually flattering for her.
- Pete, Dover

Well its clear the Governor could care less about police, court and corrections corruption. She is a phony as they come.
- Jay, Concord

Heck, the Governor is no dummy... he's just keeping her in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant.

Out of office, she has time to raise money and launch a run for Senate or Governor and drub any candidate the Dems want to try and run against her...

In the AGs position she has a real job to do 40-60 hours a week, no time for fund raising or to campaign.

Don't be as naive as to read this as bi-partisanship... the Gov knows the drill... keep your friends close and your enemy’s even closer...
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- Bob, Francestown

By all accounts, she has done a fine job a and this is a great appointment by Gov. Lynch, who looked beyond partisanship to appoint someone based on the merits. That's the way it always should be!
- Stephen A., Manchester

Here is something you've never read from me before, and probably won't read from me ever again, "Gov. Lynch finally did something I approve!"
- Ed Holdgate, Sandown, NH