New Hampshire Executive Council grants Ward Bird a pardon hearing

  Earlier today the New Hampshire Executive Council heard the case regarding Ward Bird’s pardon request and he was granted a pardon hearing, and the Democrat governor of New Hampshire, John Lynch–who could have overridden the unanimous decision by the Executive Council–declined to do so. This means that Ward Bird’s pardon request will move forward.

  This is great news for Ward Bird, and here is what the governor had to say regarding a pardon in this case:

I do have some concerns as to an unconditional pardon, given the facts of the case, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have a hearing

  As of yet there has been no date set for his hearing, and the governor is still not committing one way or the other in this case, but it seems as if it is very likely that Ward Bird may win a commutation of his sentence, rather than the full pardon he had hoped for, as even members of the all Republican Executive Council still have some concerns about Ward Bird, most likely because of new information which I wrote about yesterday.

Some on the Executive Council said today they want to explore a commutation of Bird’s sentence, rather than an outright pardon.

Executive Councilor Dan St. Hilaire, R-Concord, said “It’s just a matter of looking at whether the punishment fits the crime.”

  Governor John Lynch has not granted a single pardon during his time in office because he believes that a pardon should only be granted in cases with extenuating circumstances, and I feel that he most likely will not grant a full pardon here either. This case now seems to be more of a look at mandatory sentencing (which I had always supported until I heard about this case) and whether or not judges should be allowed to take into account a person’s history when sentencing the culprit to jail time. Even the judge  who sentenced Ward Bird admitted that he would not have given Ward Bird any jail time if it weren’t for mandatory sentences.

  If Ward Bird is granted a commutation of his sentence instead of a full pardon, it will still be a partial victory for second amendment advocates and for those that believe the New Hampshire constitution means what it says, when it states that a person has the right to bear arms in defense of himself, his family, and his property. While Ward Bird may finally be freed if indeed the governor agrees to commute his sentence, it will only be a partial victory because the felony conviction will stand and Ward Bird will lose his right to keep and bear arms.

  In that regard this decision will be a mixed one at best, but at least Ward Bird will finally be going home.