All bills for the 2008 session of the New Hampshire state legislature have been filed. There is only one obviously anti-gun bill, HB1354; its public hearing is on February 5. We will post another article about this bill, including contact information for the members of the appropriate House committee, in the next two weeks.
In September of 2007, State Representative Jason Bedrick, an Advisor to Pro-Gun New Hampshire, met with several other pro-gun legislators and several Directors and Advisors of Pro-Gun New Hampshire to discuss what pro-gun bills should be submitted for the 2008 session. In particular, Reps Al Baldasaro, Andrew Renzullo, and Connie Soucy agreed to introduce bills HB1474, HB1476, HB1265, and HB1379; Representative David Welch (also an Advisor of Pro-Gun New Hampshire) had already been working on another pro-gun bill, HB1407.
IMPORTANT UPDATE 1/4/08: Representative Jason Bedrick organized a meeting on Thursday, January 3, with Representative Al Baldasaro and leadership of both Pro-Gun New Hampshire and other New Hampshire gun groups to further discuss the final text of certain bills. As with the September meeting, a central point of this discussion was the anti-gun bias of the current state legislature, which could result in a pro-gun bill being amended to change or even reverse its effect. In particular, the wording of HB1474 and HB1476 was criticized as possibly allowing for such adverse manipulation in committee; one other pro-gun organization was even prepared to alert its membership to testify AGAINST those two bills. As a result of this meeting, it was decided that the two bills should be killed, and Rep. Baldasaro, the principal sponsor of those bills, agreed to ask the appropriate House committee to do so.
Stay tuned to this website to see analysis of the February bills, to be posted later. Meanwhile, for your information, here is the current hearing schedule (subject to change!) for all the bills discussed.
Wednesday, January 9, 1:00
p.m., Legislative Office Building Room 301
(Note: the Legislative
Office Building
is behind the State House.)
House Municipal and County Government Committee
HB1407, "relative to permission to discharge a firearm in the compact part of a town or city"
Link to bill text: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2008/HB1407.html
SUPPORT
Wednesday, January 9, 1:30
p.m., Legislative Office Building Room 301
House Municipal and County
Government Committee
HB1474-FN, "relative to the construction and operation of shooting ranges"
Link to bill text: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2008/HB1474.html
(See update, above)
Wednesday, January 9, 2:00
p.m., Legislative Office Building Room 301
House Municipal and County
Government Committee
HB1476, "relative to shooting ranges"
Link to bill text: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2008/HB1476.html
(See update, above)
Tuesday, February 5, 10:30 a.m.,
State House Room 100
House Legislative Administration Committee
HB1354, "relative to security in the state house and legislative office building"
Link to bill text: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2008/HB1354.html
OPPOSE (Would ban guns in the state house and LOB)
Tuesday, February 5, 1:00 p.m.,
Legislative Office Building Room 208
House Judiciary Committee
HB1265, "establishing a duty for owners of businesses and institutions to provide protection to customers and employees and liability for failure to provide protection"
Link to bill text: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2008/HB1265.html
SUPPORT
HEARING NOT YET SCHEDULED
House Judiciary Committee
HB1379, "relative to the authority of state agencies to prohibit state employees from lawfully carrying a firearm"
Link to bill text: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2008/HB1379.html
SUPPORT
New Hampshire
House Municipal and County Government
Committee
(Last name, first name, mailing address, political party [R/D],
phone, email)
Theberge Robert PO Box 271 Berlin NH 03570-0271 CHAIR D+R Phone: (603)752-5672 Email: rolath@msn.com
Osborne Jessie 110 Fisk Road Concord NH 03301-6213 VICE CHAIR D Phone: (603)225-9004 Email: rjosborne@comcast.net
Cooney Mary 78 Highland St Plymouth NH 03264-1237 CLERK D Phone: (603)536-1141 Email: mary.cooney@leg.state.nh.us
Goodwin Earle 34 Arch Street Dover NH 03820-3602 D Phone: (603)742-4136 Email: earlegoodwin@hotmail.com
Brown Larry 1362 White Mtn Hwy Milton NH 03851-4451 D Phone: (603)652-4306 Email: N/A
Watson Robert 11 Paradis Drive Rochester NH 03867-2017 D Phone: (603)332-5569 Email: bobwatson18@yahoo.com
Butterworth Timothy 72 North Hinsdale Road Chesterfield NH 03443-3706 D Phone: (603)363-8076 Email: tim.butterworth@leg.state.nh.us
DesRoches Michael 4 Dow Street, Apt. 3 Manchester NH 03101-1209 D Phone: (603)232-3271 Email: michaelrdesroches@comcast.net
Laliberte Suzanne PO Box 27 Enfield Center NH 03749-0027 D Phone: (603)632-7249 Email: suzielaliberte@adelphia.net
Moore Bennett 107 Locke Road Hampton NH 03842-4108 D Phone: (603)926-2543 Email: bfmoore@comcast.net
Simon Anthony 700 Hall St Manchester NH 03104-4438 D Phone: (603)669-3955 Email: anthony.simon@leg.state.nh.us
Srnec Robert 68 Sam Plummer Road Milton NH 03851-4549 D Phone: (603)652-7170 Email: srnec@metrocast.net
Patten Betsey 46 Patten Hill Road Moultonborough NH 03254-2657 R Phone: (603)253-6927 Email: blpatten@worldpath.net
Boyce Laurie PO Box 180 Alton NH 03809-0180 R Phone: (603)875-7371 Email: lauriejboyce@yahoo.com
Stohl Eric PO Box 75 Colebrook NH 03576-0075 R Phone: (603)237-4206 Email: eric.stohl@leg.state.nh.us
Peterson Andy PO Box 59 Peterborough NH 03458-0059 R Phone: (603)924-7817 Email: N/A
Guthrie Joseph 4 Grace Way, #135 Hampstead NH 03841-2245 R+D Phone: (603)489-1228 Email: lojogut@comcast.net
Elliott Robert 44 Centerville Drive Salem NH 03079-2675 R Phone: (603)893-0402 Email: thegfr@aol.com
Pearson Mark 118 Brady Avenue Salem NH 03079-4016 R Phone: (603)890-3673 Email: mark.pearson@leg.state.nh.us