In New Hampshire, a child can be protected on one street and vulnerable on the next —  simply because the law allows it.

Child safety should never depend on a town line or state border, yet this is the reality families face every day. I am asking you to stand with me and demand a statewide law that protects every child, not just the ones who happen to live in the “right” town or state. 

This issue is deeply personal to me. Like many who carry the impact of sexual abuse into adulthood, I know the shadow it leaves behind. That experience has given me a responsibility to protect our children — and New Hampshire should feel that responsibility too. Safety zones for children are not symbolic policies; they are real, lifesaving prevention measures. Prevention is the difference between a child being protected and a child being harmed; between a lifetime shaped by trauma and a childhood that was never taken from them.

Right now, New Hampshire relies on a patchwork of town-by-town approaches to sex offender residency, as the state does not have a formal statewide residency restriction. This leaves families confused and creates dangerous gaps that predators can exploit. The state does not maintain — and cannot realistically maintain — a comprehensive list of municipal residency restrictions. Even if it could, many towns have no such laws at all, and those that have attempted to enact them have often failed due to legal challenges. The result is a system where safety depends on geography instead of principle.

I am proposing that New Hampshire adopt a clear, statewide residency law establishing that no registered sex offender shall reside within 1,000 feet of any child care facility, church, school, or other area where minors congregate. This standard, modeled after existing state laws such as Georgia Code § 42-1-15, would close loopholes and provide every community with equal protection. Safety should not depend on a ZIP code.

Today, 43 states and U.S. territories enforce some form of residency distance restriction, either statewide or through consistent local authority. New Hampshire is not one of them. These laws are not extreme — they are common, preventative measures that create clear boundaries, improve enforcement, and reduce risk. 

For example, Mississippi prohibits registrants from residing within 3,000 feet of schools, child-care facilities, playgrounds, and recreational facilities utilized by minors (Miss. Code Ann. § 45-33-25). South Dakota enforces a similar policy, with the major difference being a 1,000-foot restriction (SD Code § 23-3-535). Tennessee likewise restricts residency, as well as employment, with its restrictions being slightly more encompassing to the general public (TN Code § 40-39-211).

A statewide standard would provide families with clarity, give law enforcement consistency, and make child safety a state responsibility — not a matter of chance.

I am asking you to join me in urging New Hampshire lawmakers to act now. 

If another child is assaulted because New Hampshire continues to rely on this broken system, our leaders will face a question they cannot escape: Why didn't you act when you had the chance?

When a predator uses loopholes in our laws to harm an innocent person, responsibility does not fall solely on the offender, but also on the lawmakers who understood the risks and chose not to take action. Stand with me in bringing light to our broken system and calling our leaders to make meaningful change. 

Speaker Sherman Packard, Senate President Sharon Carson, and Governor Kelly Ayotte have the power to change this right now. If they refuse, they will have to live with the reality that they looked the other way while preventable harm continued. When the next time a predator strikes, will our leaders be able to say they did everything in their power to stop it?

Our children — and all communities across New Hampshire — deserve leaders who choose prevention over regret and protection over silence.

Please add your name, raise your voice, and stand with me in demanding a safer future for every child.

References: 

Glamour. Erin Merryn: The Guardian Angel​

Kentucky Legislature. KRS 17.495: Registration System — Residence Restrictions​

Illinois General Assembly. 720 ILCS 5/11-9.3 – Sexual Predator & Offender Restrictions.​

Florida Action Committee. Residency Restrictions by State (for persons required to register as sex offenders).​

ProbationInfo.org. Residency Restrictions by State.​

U.S. Courts. Sex Offender Residence Restrictions: Sensible Crime Policy or Flawed Logic?​

Prison Policy Initiative. Sex Offender Registry Exclusion Zones.​

“25 Best Childhood Trauma Quotes.”​

OVC (Office for Victims of Crime). 2023 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week Resource Guide: ​

RAINN. Child Sexual Abuse Statistics​

CDC. Preventing Child Sexual Abuse.​

Sexual Assault Center. Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Resources.