Pro-Gun New Hampshire - Legislation

Senator Carson's statement about HB536 on the Senate floor

Sam Cohen — Sat, 05 May 2012 10:12:00 -0500

[Posted Saturday, May 5, 2012, at 11:10 a.m.] Editor’s note: New Hampshire State Senator Sharon Carson, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and an Advisor to Pro-Gun New Hampshire, presented the following for publication on our website, www.PGNH.org. It is a version of her statement about HB536 on the Senate floor on May 2nd under Senate Rule 2-17, which among other things allows senators to “as a matter of personal privilege, defend his/her position on a bill…against unfair or unwarranted criticism.”

Along with the Senate speech, Senator Carson asked us to add her statement that "I support this issue; this is just not the right bill."

NH Senate tables HB536 -- shooting down Constitutional Carry AGAIN

Sam Cohen — Wed, 02 May 2012 21:35:04 -0500

[Posted Wednesday, May 2, 2012, at 10:30 p.m.] Today the full NH state senate voted to table HB536, essentially letting it die, after the Senate Judiciary Committee passed the bill, with an amendment, last Friday. As we reported, the amended bill wasn't perfect, but was a step forward, and would have allowed law-abiding citizens to carry concealed in New Hampshire without a license (like Vermont, Alaska, Arizona, and Wyoming). The committee amendment was designed to placate legislators and voters sensitized by the recent criminal shootings in the state, as well as gain support from the police chiefs association; as we said, the conditions of the amendment were unnecessary and inappropriate, but basically harmless, and would have made the bill useful as a first step toward better legislation later. Unfortunately, both Gun Owners of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Firearms Coalition came out in opposition to the amended bill -- thereby, in our opinion, giving the senate an excuse for not "rocking the boat." Once again, some people just haven't learned that "the perfect is the enemy of the good."

Second Constitutional Carry bill passes Senate Judiciary Committee

Sam Cohen — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 09:34:36 -0500

[Posted Sunday, April 29, 2012, at 10:30 a.m.] The NH Senate Judiciary Committee was supposed to have voted on the Constitutional Carry bill HB536 last Wednesday, April 25, but delayed the vote until Friday the 27th. At that time they added a major amendment to the bill and passed the amended bill by a vote of four to one.

The bill will be voted on by the full state senate on Wednesday, May 2; if it passes the Senate, it must then be approved by a Committee of Conference between House and Senate (required because one body changed another body's bill). If it passes the Committee of Conference, it then goes to the governor for his signature -- although Governor Lynch has said he'll veto the bill.

A modest editorial on state legislation

Sam Cohen — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:16:44 -0600

[Posted Wednesday, February 15, 2012, at 8:00 p.m.] In contrast to other gun-rights organizations in this state, Pro-Gun New Hampshire was formed with a leadership -- our Board of Directors and Council of Advisors -- comprised of both active members of the state legislature and people who have the respect of the legislature either because they are former legislators themselves or they have earned a reputation for knowledge and maturity about legislative matters.

There are hundreds of bills filed in the New Hampshire legislature each year. Although every one of them must have a public hearing in an appropriate legislative committee, many of these bills are destined to be DOA, for several reasons: they may be too extreme for the committee, they may be poorly drafted, or they may just be of little interest. One important predictor of a bill's future, for example, is the number of co-sponsors it has attracted. It is our job to decide which bills deserve the efforts of our membership to support.

Tomorrow, February 16, the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, meeting in room 204 of the Legislative Office Building, will hear the following three bills -- all vaguely gun-related -- which may be well-intentioned, but which we believe have "no traction" and therefore should not require the efforts of our membership to support -- in part because of the danger of the "cry wolf" problem.

Legislative Alert: Please support HB1523, requiring the timely return of seized property (including guns)

Sam Cohen — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:09:56 -0600

[Posted Monday, February 6, 2012, at 4:15 p.m.] HB1523 will have a public hearing before the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee this Thursday, February 9, 2012, at 10:30 a.m., in room 204 of the Legislative Office Building (behind the State House). The bill requires property, including weapons, seized by the police to be returned to the owner within a certain time limit if the person is acquitted or the case is dismissed, or if it is found that no abuse has occurred in a domestic violence case.

Legislative alert: three good Fish & Game bills will have public committee hearings on Thursday, February 2

Sam Cohen — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:54:03 -0600

[Posted Tuesday, January 31, at 4:55 p.m.] Please support the following three Fish & Game bills by testifying at the hearings, or at least by contacting your state rep(s) and the members of the F&G Committee. (See the end of this post for information.)

The public hearings will be held on Thursday, February 2, 2012, before the House Fish and Game and Marine Resources Committee, in room 307 of the Legislative Office Building (behind the State House):

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At 10:15 a.m., HB1332. This bill provides that conservation officers of the fish and game department may conduct a search based on probable cause rather than reasonable cause. The bill also provides that seized property shall be held at the state’s expense rather than at the owner's expense.

Legislative Alert – Support HB1220 at hearing tomorrow

Sam Cohen — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:09:16 -0600

HB1220 Ends New Hampshire Funding Enforcement of the Federal “Brady Bill.”

[Posted Wednesday, January 25, 2012, at 1:10 p.m.] Tomorrow, January 26, at 1:00 p.m., the NH House Criminal Justice and Public Safety will conduct a public hearing on HB1220 in Room 204 of the Legislative Office Building (LOB), behind the State House. HB1220 removes the NH State Police “Gun Line,” which exists only as an enforcement tool of the “Brady Bill.”

NH House and Senate committee hearings tomorrow on gun bills

Sam Cohen — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:18:57 -0600

[Posted Wednesday, January 25, at 12:20 p.m.] The following gun bills will have public hearings tomorrow. Please support these bills.

The Senate Judiciary Committee, meeting in Room 100 of the State House, will conduct hearings on two bills that have already passed the House. Both of these bills were described in our earlier (January 1) post, http://pgnh.org/legislative_alert_contact_your_state_reps_before_january_4 : HB334 (clarifying and extending state preemption on gun regulation) will be heard at 1:00 p.m.; HB194 (modifying the Fish & Game law about carrying a loaded rifle or shotgun in a vehicle) will be heard at 1:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, meeting in Room 204 of the Legislative Office Building behind the State House, will hear HB1246, which allows NH concealed carry licenses to be issued by your county sheriff or the State Police as well as your local Chief of Police, city mayor, or town selectman.

HB194 passes House by a vote of 204 to 110

Sam Cohen — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:12:01 -0600

[Posted Thursday, January 5, 2012, at 4:15 p.m.] See the Legislative Alert article posted below on 1/1/12.

HB536 passes House by a vote of 193 to 122

Sam Cohen — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 09:19:35 -0600

[Posted Thursday, January 5, 2012, at 10:20 a.m.] See the Legislative Alert article posted below on 1/1/12.