Pro-Gun New Hampshire - Legislation

Major self-defense bill signed into law

Sam Cohen — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:04:36 -0500

[Posted Tuesday August 24, 2010, at 5:00 p.m.] Current New Hampshire law -- RSA 627:4 -- says that you if you are attacked in your home, you have no "duty to retreat." HB160 started out as a "castle doctrine" bill, expanding the places where you had no duty to retreat to include anywhere you had a right to be. Unfortunately, the governor had vetoed a similar bill not long ago, and it was felt that this bill also was destined for failure. Then Representative David Welch, a senior Advisor of Pro-Gun New Hampshire, submitted a successful amendment on the floor of the House to change the bill into something better: the bill now said that displaying a gun or other weapon in a self-defense situation is not a crime, if you do so to warn off an attacker. Again, anti-gun forces were pressuring the governor to veto the bill. This time, however, the governor spoke with Pro-Gun New Hampshire president Bob Clegg -- three times (!) -- and Bob's common-sense reasoning won him over. On July 23, HB160 was signed into law, effective the first of next year.

Governor vetoes our bill

Sam Cohen — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 10:21:08 -0500

[Posted Tuesday, July 27, 2010, at 11:25 a.m.] After the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police mounted last-minute opposition, Governor Lynch vetoed our bill, HB1161. Sponsored by Pro-Gun New Hampshire Advisor Dan Eaton, the House majority floor leader, this bill would have repealed an obsolete law requiring a town license to sell handguns at retail -- in addition to a Federal Firearms License. The Union Leader article is at http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Governor+vetoes+gun-sales+license+bill&articleId=991df859-80d7-40d3-8ee0-25148ee2166e

Huge Second Amendment victory in New Hampshire -- Thanks to PGNH leaders Rep. Jennifer Coffey and attorney Evan Nappen

Sam Cohen — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 09:58:15 -0500

[Posted Tuesday, June 8, 2010, at 11:00 a.m.] The Right to Keep and Bear Arms refers to more than firearms. As of May 18, when the governor signed HB1665 into law, it is now legal for people in New Hampshire to carry automatic knives -- "switchblades" -- as well as double-edged knives.

For almost forty years, New Hampshire law prohibited carrying any "stiletto, switch knife, ...dagger, [or] dirk-knife" (RSA 159:16); exceptions were made (per RSA 159:17) for police officers, for EMTs and military when on duty, and for "persons holding hunting or fishing licenses when lawfully engaged in hunting or fishing." It was illegal, however, to carry such knives when going to or returning from a hunting or fishing trip or EMT or military duty. Not only that, these knives could not be sold anywhere in the state, not even to police officers.

State Legislative Review May 12, 2010

Sam Cohen — Wed, 12 May 2010 20:16:45 -0500

[Posted May 12, 2010, at 9:15 p.m.] Please see earlier postings on this website for details on the bills cited below. Note that everyone named below is an Advisor to Pro-Gun New Hampshire.

-- HB1665, Rep. Jenn Coffey's knife bill: passed both House and Senate; has Speaker's signature, on the way to the Secretary of State's office for transmittal to the President of the Senate for her signature, then on to the Governor.

-- HB1161, Rep. Dan Eaton's bill to repeal the archaic statutes of RSA 159:8 and 159:10 (town license to sell pistols at retail): passed both House and Senate; will become effective 1/1/11, unless vetoed by the Governor.

-- HB1447, Rep. Dave Welch's bill about shooting in the compact area of a town: passed the House, but voted ITL ("Inexpedient to Legislate") 5-0 by Senate Public & Municipal Affairs Committee on May 4; we don't know why.

-- HB160. This started out as a "Stand Your Ground"/"Castle Doctrine" bill which didn't look as if it would pass (the Governor had vetoed a similar bill before), but it was successfully amended on the floor of the House by Rep. Dave Welch to become an excellent bill to decriminalize displaying a gun in self-defense ("...with the intent to warn away the person making the threat..."). Passed the House; voted OTP 5-0 by the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 6; passed the Senate today, May 12.

Rep. Jenn Coffey wins a home run in the Senate and the Wildlife Federation award!

Sam Cohen — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 18:00:48 -0500

[Posted Thursday April 1, 2010, at 6:55 p.m.] Yesterday, March 31, State Representative Jenn Coffey achieved a legislative victory when the New Hampshire state senate voted UNANIMOUSLY to approve her Knife Rights bill, HB1665. Rep. Coffey and Senator Bob Letourneau, who helped her shepherd it through the senate, are both Advisors of Pro-Gun New Hampshire. The bill will become law when the Governor signs it, expected this month. Read the press release at http://www.knifelawonline.com/news-updates-new-as-of-3312010.html .

Further, the New Hampshire Wildlife Federation has voted to award Rep. Coffey with its "Friend of the Federation Award," to be presented at its annual banquet on April 10. From the NHWF e-newsletter:

Legislative update and review March 25, 2010: good news and bad news

Sam Cohen — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 11:20:14 -0500

[Posted March 25, 2010, at 12:20 p.m.] Here is the current status of gun bills in the New Hampshire legislature.

First, the good news: HB1665, Jenn Coffey's Knife Rights bill, was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 23 by a unanimous committee vote of 5 to 0; it had passed the House on February 17. The full Senate will vote on the bill next Wednesday, March 31; if it passes, it will then go to the governor.

The bad news is that HB1693, the bill to repeal the December gun ban in the State House, failed in the House by a vote of 191 to 167 yesterday, March 24, largely on party lines. As we reported earlier, last December the Joint Legislative Facilities Committee banned guns in the State House and Legislative Office Building (LOB). See the Nashua Telegraph article at http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/statenewengland/684532-227/house-sends-gun-ban-repeal-packing.html . If it's any consolation, the ban is just a rule and not a law, so you cannot be arrested for violating the rule, only asked to leave; you can be arrested, however, if you refuse to leave when asked.

URGENT LEGISLATIVE ALERT: House vote on HB1693 this Wednesday, March 24

Sam Cohen — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 20:00:59 -0500

Please call your state representative(s) before Wednesday March 24. That's the day the NH House of Representatives will vote on HB1693, a bill that will restore Second Amendment rights in the State House and Legislative Office Building (LOB) in Concord. Ask them to overturn the "ITL" committee recommendation and pass the bill. You can find your state representative(s) through the House web page http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/members/housemembers.html .

Open carry ban defeated in the House of Representatives

Sam Cohen — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:56:31 -0500

[Posted March 21, 2010, at 8:45 p.m.] Last Wednesday, March 17, the New Hampshire House voted 256 to 33 to defeat HB1635, a bill that would have made it a felony to openly carry, with or without a License to Carry, a firearm "or other deadly weapon" -- defined by state law to include knives or "other substance or thing which, in the manner it is used, intended to be used, or threatened to be used, is known to be capable of producing death or serious bodily injury" in any "building, structure, or place owned or operated by the state or one of its political subdivisions [like town libraries, for example], and shall include the university system of New Hampshire and the community college system of New Hampshire" -- with "place" possibly including rest areas on our highways?

HB1693 hearing fiasco: “The perfect is the enemy of the good”

Sam Cohen — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:24:44 -0500

[Posted March 16, 2010, at 10:15 p.m.] At the March 8 legislative hearing on HB1693, two pro-gun-rights organizations unwittingly gave anti-gun legislators an excuse not to repeal the recent "no guns in the State House" rule. Sure enough, this afternoon (March 16) the House Legislative Administration Committee voted 10 to 7 to keep the gun ban. (The full House will vote on the bill later.)

As we reported earlier, last December 21 the Joint Legislative Facilities Committee created a "rule" (not a law) to ban guns "or other dangerous or deadly weapons" in the State House and Legislative Office Building. The final vote - the second one taken - was along party lines, except for Democrat State Rep. Dan Eaton, a member of the Pro-Gun New Hampshire Council of Advisors, who voted against the ban. (Rep. Eaton was not present for the first committee vote, which was held without advance notice.) The actions of this committee flew in the face of a 279 to 19 House vote in 2008 that killed a bill, HB1354, that would have done the same thing by statute. More recently, the House rejected a similar bill, HB1654; that vote was 300 to 35. But the Joint Legislative Facilities Committee's "rules" stand without a House or Senate vote.

EMERGENCY at the State House!

Sam Cohen — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:26:40 -0600

[Posted Thursday, March 4, 2010, at 1:23 p.m.] Two months ago the New Hampshire Joint Legislative Facilities Committee, without a public hearing or a full House or Senate vote, banned guns in the State House and Legislative Office Building. This morning, March 4, State Rep. Jenn Coffey, senior advisor of Pro-Gun New Hampshire, sent the following email message. Note: State Rep. Gene Chandler, former Speaker of the House, is also an advisor of Pro-Gun New Hampshire.

...

In an effort to stop the Second Amendment Community from organizing, the Legislative Administration Committee has suddenly scheduled a public hearing for HB1693 for Monday March 8th at 2pm in the Legislative Office Building room 208!