Pro-Gun New Hampshire

[Posted Thursday, June 2, 2011, at 8:55 p.m.]  Yesterday, June 1, 2011, the New Hampshire House of Representatives approved an omnibus “Trifecta” pro-gun bill by a veto-proof supermajority vote of 248 to 111.  The bill, SB88, started out as a “Stand Your Ground” bill from the Senate.  But due to bungling and interference by NRA’s John Hohenwarter, progress on three pro-gun bills from the House (Constitutional Carry, Ward Bird, and Stand Your Ground) had been stopped cold in the Senate.   (See the articles posted earlier on our Pro-Gun New Hampshire website: http://pgnh.org/heave_ho_hohenwarter and http://pgnh.org/an_open_letter_to_the_nra_from_the_chair_of_the_nh_house_criminal_justice_and_public_safety_committee). 

In response to this Senate “train wreck” of three vital pro-Second Amendment measures, The House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee amended Senate Bill 88 to include everything in the three stalled House Bills so that this important pro-gun legislation could still pass this session, despite the misguided efforts of the NRA by its agent. The House firmly rejected Hohenwarter’s misinformation and scare tactics by passing this amended SB88. 

The new SB88, available on the Web at http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/amendments/2011-2156H.html, now includes all the following:  

-        Constitutional Carry: you won’t need a license to carry a loaded handgun in a vehicle or concealed upon the person, although licenses would still be issued for purposes of reciprocity with other states;

-        Stand Your Ground: you won’t need to retreat from a threat anywhere you have a right to be, not just in your home;

-        Elements of the “Ward Bird bill”: the law would no longer demand mandatory minimum sentencing for certain crimes involving guns;

-        A legal definition that “the act of producing or displaying a weapon shall constitute non-deadly force”; and

-        Immunity from civil litigation in cases of justifiable defense of self, others, or property.

The amended SB88 requires the Senate to concur or call for a committee of conference. The NRA and its NH state affiliate have called for the public to help them remove the bills previously laid on the table after the NRA interference and now vote in favor of them.  SB88 allows for one vote on all the issues without having to remove bills from the table. 

TAKE ACTION: Call your Senator and politely ask him or her to concur with the House amended version, which encompasses everything Second Amendment supporters in the House and Senate set out to do before the interference by outside forces. Tell your Senator that New Hampshire is unique in its ability to see through the lies, and now a “yes” vote to concur will send a message to the outsiders that we stand tall and proud when it comes to the rights of individuals and the right to protect our families. 

To find your State Senator, go to http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/Senate/members/wml.aspx.