Thursday, February 02, 2017

NH: Constitutional Carry, SB 12, passes House Committee

The New Hampshire House Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety has passed SB 12.  SB 12 is the New Hampshire permitless or "Constitutional carry" bill for 2017.

The New Hampshire legislature has passed permitless "Constitutional carry" both of the last two years. Both times the bill was vetoed by Democrat governor Maggie Hassan.

Now, early in the session, the New Hampshire Senate has passed SB 12-FN.
It passed the Senate with a healthy 13 to 10 margin, defeating two attempts at amendment, on January 19, 2017.

The next stop is the New Hampshire House. The NH House is one of the largest legislative bodies in the states, for one of the smallest states (in population). There are 400 seats in the House, with an adult population of 1.052 million.  So there is one representative for each 2,630 people.

The first stop in the House was the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee. The hearing was held today, February 1st, and SB 12 passed, with a vote of 12 to 8 for the bill.

New Hampshire is bordered on the East by Maine and on the West by Vermont. Both of those states have Constitutional carry.  New Hampshire's requirement for a carry permit was passed about a hundred years ago as "progressive" ideas swept the nation.  Those laws are being repealed as evidence accumulates that they did more harm than good.

Opponents say that they are an infringement on Second Amendment rights.  In January, 2016, the bill passed the New Hampshire House  206 to 146.  Republicans voted for the bill, Democrats, with a few exceptions, against.

After the 2016 election, Democrats gained a few seats. In 2016, there were 157 Democrats and 230 Re3publican. In 2017 there are 174 Democrats and 226 Republicans.  SB 12 is still likely to pass the House.



The new Republican Governor, Chris Sununu, said that he would sign the Constitutional carry bill. From concordmonitor.com:

Sununu is not a gun owner but said he would sign a bill doing away with the need for concealed carry permits.
It is likely that New Hampshire will become the first state to move to permitless or "Constitutional carry" in 2017.  All 10 states that have moved to Constitutional carry had gone to a "shall issue" carry permit before moving to permitless carry.  All 10 have kept their "shall issue" permit system in place. This is done for the convenience of the armed public.  Vermont always had permitless or "Constitutional carry", and never initiated a permit system.

Permits are useful for reciprocity with other states.  Half of the states in the Union allow carry permits as an alternate to the NICS instant check system. New Hampshire is not one of those states. That may be a reform for future years.


©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Noting a post to the right on the main page, we can not get rid of the lunatics except by one at a time as the make their last lunatic mistake. If this and a few other states can get the anti gun lunatics defeated this year maybe we can get the rest to follow rapidly. The fact seem to be very clear that it was progressives/communists that passed national issues on gun control. the only valid law for weapons in this country is the second amendment. the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. as the gun culture grows, and it is growing very fast, we are seeing the criminal element learning their time is short. the 1934 NFA was passed as people no longer needed to carry that is when the criminal element went wild using guns because no many were carrying. Look at the history of the Prohibition years. names like machine gun Kelly, Al Capone, and many of the other gangsters of the late 1920 and early 1930s that is what allowed the progressives to get the NFA passed. we near the anniversary of the Saint Valentine's day massacre. Prohibition passed but the criminals already had their start. it has taken a long time to complete the circle. not much longer to get our full constitutional right back. the gun toting criminals are dropping like flies. the lunatics are disappearing one by one. Sam Colt must be smiling.

Anonymous said...

Funny thing is my maternal grand mother knew most of those gangsters by their first name. My paternal grand father was a very good poker player He started playing poker one night with a new guy at the table. the guy was invited by one of the Friday night regulars. My grand father was forced to play head to head with the new guy when all of the others players dropped out. My grand father was really nervous with the pistol laying on the table but he was a very good poker player and that is what the new guy wanted, to play with the best. My grand father won 25,000 dollars from the new guy. the new guy said well you are the best I have ever played, picked up his pistol and put it away. as he left he said Legs Diamond does love to play poker with the best. The game lasted 24 hours. He did not have a carry permit or a license and drove away in his stuts bear cat with his two body guards.