Pro-Gun New Hampshire - Articles

Obamacare’s Hidden Gun Control

Sam Cohen — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:24:55 -0500

By E.F. Nappen, Esq.
General Counsel and Board Member, Pro-Gun New Hampshire, Inc.

[Posted Saturday, July 24, 2010, at 9:00 a.m. This updates the version posted 7/23.] Effective January 1, 2012, the national healthcare legislation passed by Congress contains tax provisions that will require gun dealers to report to the IRS their purchases of guns and any other goods valued over $600. This reporting will be required for purchases from either individuals or corporations. The new IRS provisions apply to all goods and services. IRS 1099 forms will have to be filed, reporting the purchase by the gun dealer. (This same IRS issue exists for gold and silver bullion dealers, coin dealers, knife dealers, car dealers or any other business that buys goods from a person.)

It applies to all businesses who buy from "persons." If you sell your gun for over $600 to an FFL, the FFL must send in a 1099 on you which reports the sale by you to the IRS. It is not simply a "business to business" reporting requirement. (Which, even if it was, would still be bad for business.)

Nottingham was not special; New Hampshire trusts people to be armed

Sam Cohen — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 12:06:30 -0500

[Posted July 22, 2010, at 1:15 p.m.] Recently, newspapers, radio, and television have reported that the town of Nottingham, New Hampshire, adopted a new policy allowing town employees to be armed when at work. The public response has been varied across the country, with some receiving it as startling, even disturbing, news. Yet here in New Hampshire we have always respected the rights of law abiding citizens to keep and bear arms, and in times like the present, people take those rights seriously.

The constitutions of both the United States and the State of New Hampshire guarantee each of us the right to keep and bear arms, and we believe those who drafted the constitutions meant for us to have the right to bear arms for our own individual defense, because government cannot protect every person at every moment.

We here at Pro-Gun New Hampshire wish to share with the rest of the country New Hampshire state law RSA 159:26, which reads in full:

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I. To the extent consistent with federal law, the state of New Hampshire shall have authority and jurisdiction over the sale, purchase, ownership, use, possession, transportation, licensing, permitting, taxation, or other matter pertaining to firearms, firearms components, ammunition, or firearms supplies in the state. Except as otherwise specifically provided by statute, no ordinance or regulation of a political subdivision may regulate the sale, purchase, ownership, use, possession, transportation, licensing, permitting, taxation, or other matter pertaining to firearms, firearms components, ammunition, or firearms supplies in the state.

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Pro-Gun New Hampshire leaders honored at BLADE show in Atlanta, Georgia

Sam Cohen — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 11:13:46 -0500

[Posted Tuesday, June 8, 2010, at 12:30 p.m.] New Hampshire State Representative Jennifer Coffey, a senior Advisor of PGNH, and attorney Evan Nappen, PGNH General Counsel and Director, were presented with awards at the BLADE show last week in Atlanta, Georgia.

Left: Alan Gura (lead attorney on the Supreme Court's Heller case); Rep. Jennifer Coffey; Doug Ritter (Chairman of Knife Rights, Inc.); attorney Evan Nappen (PGNH General Counsel and Director)
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Pro-Gun New Hampshire elects new president

Sam Cohen — Wed, 12 May 2010 20:26:53 -0500
[Posted May 12, 2010, at 9:30 p.m.] The Pro-Gun New Hampshire Council of Advisors met last night and elected a new president of the organization. Former State Representative Elbert "Bick" Bicknell was the first president, with his first two-year term starting when the organization was formed in the spring of 2006; he was reelected in the spring of 2008, but now lives in Arizona.
The Council of Advisors elected former State Senator and Senate Majority Leader Bob Clegg as our new president. Bob, who is now a registered lobbyist, will be active within the State House in advancing our cause.

After the presidential election, the PGNH Board of Directors met and voted to keep Bick on the Board as past president; since most internal business is conducted by email, Bick can remain an active contributor to managing the affairs of the organization. Director Ed Naile, whose work as chairman of the Coalition of New Hampshire Taxpayers keeps him very busy, agreed to leave the Board and assume the position of Advisor. Therefore, the Board of Directors now consists of the following five Directors: The Honorable Bob Clegg, President; Sam Cohen, Executive Vice President and CEO; Hon. Bick Bicknell, Past President; Evan Nappen, Corporate Counsel; and Richard Aldrich, Director.

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New Hampshire Gun Shop Finder

Sam Cohen — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 21:00:18 -0500
[Posted April 25, 2010, at 10:00 p.m.] Click on the Links menu item, above; we've added a link to a web page that will locate a licensed gun dealer (FFL) within a given radius (5, 10, 25, 50, or 100 miles) of your ZIP code.

PGNH Director Richard Aldrich quoted in the Union Leader

Sam Cohen — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 20:20:01 -0500

[Posted March 20, 2010, at 9:15 p.m.] Judge Andrew Napolitano, senior judicial analyst for Fox News, spoke at the Free State Project's Liberty Forum in Nashua last night, and was the subject of an article on page B2 of this morning's Union Leader. The article reported that with a goal of 20,000 pro-liberty activists pledged to relocate to New Hampshire, the Free State Project had already recruited over 10,000, and that over 800 had already moved here. After quoting a number of Judge Napolitano's statements about the role of government and the principles of liberty, the article went on to say: "For many who attended the conference, Napolitano's words mirrored their own deeply held beliefs and hopes for the Free State Project. 'There is no place in the world that shares more freedoms than the state of New Hampshire, and I'm devoting my time and my life to keep New Hampshire the best place to live," said Richard Aldrich, the [sic] director of Pro-Gun New Hampshire. 'The Free State Project is bringing people of a tremendously high caliber back into our state.' For Napolitano, a short trip to New Hampshire offered a glimpse of that potential future, where residents like Aldrich and 20,000 others may one day challenge the size and scope of the state's government."
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Dick Riley passes

Sam Cohen — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 09:39:35 -0600
[Posted December 8, 2009, at 10:40 a.m.] Dick Riley, one of the great names in the gun world, passed away yesterday, December 7, 2009. In 1953 he opened Riley's Sport Shop in Hooksett, now the largest gun store in New Hampshire. He was the founder and first president of Gun Owners of New Hampshire, and served as President of the NRA from 1990 to 1992. He will be missed.

Reason and Law Defeat Prejudice in Tamworth

Sam Cohen — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 11:54:08 -0600
[Posted December 6, 2009 at 1:00 p.m.] Pro-Gun New Hampshire (PGNH) is an all-volunteer organization, and sometimes a volunteer makes a huge difference. In this case, we owe a large debt to PGNH member Scott Finman. Last year, Scott bought property in Tamworth, New Hampshire, and built a house there. But he was surprised to find an anti-gun mentality among the selectmen of this small northern town in the Live Free or Die state. Last summer he discovered that the town's personnel policies prohibited town employees from carrying firearms on town property - in violation of state law. Scott wasn't the only one incensed at this illegal action; the town's firefighters objected as well.
Scott notified the PGNH Board in August, and both Bick Bicknell, PGNH President, and Sam Cohen, PGNH Executive Vice President, wrote to the town selectmen, notifying them that the "no-guns" policy violated state law, RSA 159:26. (Bick had been responsible for passing this law in 2003; it specifies that only the state legislature, not towns or cities, can regulate guns and ammunition.) Both letters were sent on PGNH stationery, which lists the Board of Directors and the Council of Advisors in a sidebar. Sam's letter included copies to the town police chief, the state attorney general, and Earl Sweeney, Assistant Commissioner of the state's Department of Safety (and a PGNH Advisor).
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Londonderry police correct their carry licensing procedures

Sam Cohen — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:08:33 -0500
By Sam Cohen, Executive Vice President
[Posted October 26, 2009, at 8:00 p.m.] Until recently, the Londonderry, NH police department website instructed applicants for a License to Carry (concealed) that a picture ID was required (the law says no photographs or fingerprints may be demanded), that the license would be issued within 14 business days (the law specifies a maximum of 14 days, not business days), and that there was a ten dollar fee to apply (the law says the ten dollar fee is for the license, not for the application process). Representative Jenn Coffey, an Advisor of Pro-Gun New Hampshire, also reported that they required applications to be filed in person and disallowed filing by mail.
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Taurus Judge revolver won in first Pro-Gun New Hampshire raffle

Sam Cohen — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 04:26:32 -0500
[Posted October 18, 2009, at 5:30 a.m.] The first Pro-Gun New Hampshire members-only raffle concluded on October 17, 2009, at the Manchester gun show. We found a young boy to do the drawing, and several people in the audience signed a statement that they had witnessed a fair drawing. The winner of the Taurus Judge .45 Colt/.410 gauge revolver, who gave us permission to post his name and town, was Scott Christie of Pembroke.