High School senior Jack Harrington is a peaceable and lawful gun owner in New Hampshire.

Being a gun owner is not evidence that you have committed a crime. Publicly talking about your exercise of your right to keep and bear arms does not justify harassmant or intrusion of person or personal belongings. But that is precisely what happened to Plaintiff Jack Harrington.

Harrington was subjected to harrassment, coercion and the unconstitutional search of his truck by school officials, when they became aware that Jack was a lawful gun owner in his private life. Jack legally owns, possesses and sometimes carries his firearm in accordance with all state and local laws. He does so exclusively away from school property, where Jack is aware he is not authorized to possess or carry. But upon learning that Jack elected to exercise his rights outside of school, school administrators made the regrettable decision to pull Jack from class, submit him to an interrogation, and ultimately search his truck without his consent. Because that search was based on nothing more than the general understanding that Jack was a gun owner, it lacked probable cause or even reasonable suspicion that he had committed a crime, and thus, violated his Fourth Amendment Rights.

With SAF’s support, Jack filed suit on October 15, 2025, seeking declaratory relief to precent his now former school disctrict, and those like it, from submitted students to unconstituional searches based solely on their status as gun owners.

Case Team: Edward Paltzik, Richard Lehmann, Matthew St. Hilaire

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