Don’t Let Compromising Republicans Enact Gun Control in Concord

Urge Your Senator to Oppose Gun Control!

 

Click on the Take Action button to urge your state senator to oppose SB-492-FN and SB 500 — two bills that will impose even more gun control in New Hampshire.


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Don’t Let Compromising Republicans Enact Gun Control in Concord 

Dear Friend,

Now that a Republican state Senate, House and Governor have made New Hampshire a Constitutional Carry state, you would think that we wouldn’t have to worry that every media-generated copycat shooting would produce another call for gun control. 

Unfortunately, that is not the case. 

As we speak, two major anti-gun initiatives are expected to receive hearings within the next few weeks. 

Senate Bill 492-FN: A Blank Check to Ban Magazines, Pistol Grips and More 

Not surprisingly, the usual coalition of anti-gunners moved quickly to exploit the victims of the Las Vegas shooting.  Their bill is Senate Bill 492-FN. 

Their bill purports to ban “bump stocks.”  But, like counterpart legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate by Dianne Feinstein, this bill’s intent is to ban a wide range of guns and gun accessories. 

At its core, the bill would retroactively ban simple POSSESSION of anything constituting “a trigger activating device [which] … increases the rate of fire of [a] firearm.” 

So…  What is a “trigger activating device”?  It’s not defined in this bill, or anywhere else.  But, while we don’t know what a “trigger activating device” is, we do know what it’s NOT.  

It’s NOT something that pulls the trigger because, in the case of an actual “bump stock,” it’s the finger of the shooter that pulls the trigger — in an action which is accelerated by the gun’s own recoil. 

Okay, then.  What sorts of things “increase the rate of fire of [a] firearm”? 

Certainly, a polished bolt, a match trigger, a high-capacity magazine — even a scope, a tripod, or a pistol grip — allow a firearm to be fired at an increased rate. 

And the problem is this:  With this bill’s deliberately broad overreach, we would only know what percent of New Hampshire gun owners are criminals after the prosecutions begin. 

Remember the “armor piercing bullet” ban which was only supposed to apply to handgun ammo?  And remember how the popular 7N6 RIFLE ammo was banned because an exotic handgun was able to fire it? 

Well, we would be idiots if we fell in this same trap in connection with Senate Bill 492-FN’s deliberately deceptive definitions. 

Senate Bill 500: Forget About Deregulating Suppressors in NH

This bill was introduced at the behest of a “gun group” by Republican Senators Kevin Avard (Dist-12) and Jeb Bradley (Dist-3). 

Senate Bill 500 is a bill with a bunch of problems.  

But the central problem is this: Currently, New Hampshire law, in section 173-B:1, defines “firearm” to be “any weapon, including a starter gun, which will or is designed to or may readily be converted to expel a projectile by force of gunpowder.”

Senate Bill 500 would replace this definition with the federal definition in 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(3).  If it does this, in addition to the weapon itself, New Hampshire’s definition of firearm would be newly amended to include “the frame or receiver of any such weapon, … any firearm muffler or firearm silencer, or … any destructive device…” 

We are making major strides toward removing suppressors from federal regulation under the NFA and under the 1968 Act.  So why would we take a step backwards and newly bring suppressors within the scope of New Hampshire firearms regulation? 

Senate Bill 500 also makes tinkering changes with respect to guns in vehicles.  Under the bill, you can have a loaded rifle or shotgun in your stationary vehicle, but if you forget that you have a loaded gun — and drive your vehicle down the road — you’re a criminal. 

We at GOA would like to repeal the prohibition on loaded rifles and shotguns in cars, and these half-measures will make that effort much more difficult.

Special Attention Needed for Senate Judiciary Committee Members

Our local partners at the New Hampshire Firearms Coalition have issued a few alerts on SB 492-FN and SB 500. 

They are asking all pro-gun activists to contact the members of the New Hampshire Senate Judiciary Committee and tell Senators that both bills cannot be fixed with amendments.

Urge these Senators to vote SB 492-FN and SB 500 “inexpedient to legislate” without any delay.  

Please click here for the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.  Then click on each Senators name for their contact information.

One Final Comment: Let’s Stick to the Facts

We are working hard to deregulate suppressors under federal law, and we are making progress. 

We oppose Senate Bill 500 because, among other things, it opens up the prospect of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.  That is, we could win an historic battle at the federal level, taking suppressors out of the National Firearms Act, only to have suppressors newly regulated as a matter of New Hampshire state law because of SB 500.  

Aside from that, we see no benefit to New Hampshire or the Second Amendment by tying NH law to the federal definition. 

Nevertheless, we are being opposed by a New Hampshire gun group which is affiliated with the draftsman of Senate Bill 500. 

Which is fine. Friends can differ. 

But what is not fine is that this gun group seems to have a Standard Operating Procedure which calls for hurling slime at pro-gun advocates who disagree with them. 

They did this to GOA’s Legislative Counsel when they opposed us in 2007 and pushed for the passage of the Veterans Disarmament Act.  They did this, in 2014, to our Executive Director Emeritus, when they pushed for New Hampshire to send more names to NICS.  

And they’re doing it again to our New Hampshire Representative, Alan Rice, who has been fighting for Second Amendment rights for close to 30 years.  Contrary to their misrepresentations, I have only known Alan to be a tireless fighter for gun owners.

Frankly, we’re getting a little tired of these backstabbing tactics. 

If this group can’t debate on the merits, it needs to be repudiated by Granite State pro-gun advocates on both sides of this debate.  

We oppose Senate Bill 500 because, among other things, it opens up the prospect of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.  That is, we could win an historic battle at the federal level, taking suppressors out of the National Firearms Act, only to have suppressors newly regulated as a matter of New Hampshire state law because of SB 500.  

Aside from that, we see no benefit to New Hampshire or the Second Amendment by tying NH law to the federal definition. 

Nevertheless, we are being opposed by a New Hampshire gun group which is affiliated with the draftsman of Senate Bill 500. 

Which is fine.  Friends can differ. 

But what is not fine is that this gun group seems to have a Standard Operating Procedure which calls for hurling slime at pro-gun advocates who disagree with them. 

They did this to GOA’s Legislative Counsel when they opposed us in 2007 and pushed for the passage of the Veterans Disarmament Act.  They did this, in 2014, to our Executive Director Emeritus, when they pushed for New Hampshire to send more names to NICS.  

And they’re doing it again to our New Hampshire Representative, Alan Rice, who has been fighting for Second Amendment rights for close to 30 years.  Contrary to their misrepresentations, I have only known Alan to be a tireless fighter for gun owners.

Frankly, we’re getting a little tired of these backstabbing tactics. 

If this group can’t debate on the merits, it needs to be repudiated by Granite State pro-gun advocates on both sides of this debate. 

Other than these ad hominem attacks, I have not seen any sort of an explanation from them as to why SB 500 is supposedly good for gun owners.

So please urge your legislator, State Senator, to oppose SB-492-FN and SB 500.

In Liberty,

Erich Pratt
Executive Director

P.S. Urge your legislator, State Senator, to oppose SB-492-FN and SB 500. If you believe at all that the Senator assigned to you by our Legislative Action Center is incorrect, you can always get the absolute correct match here.  Finally, if you’re not a member of Gun Owners of America, please consider joining GOA here for $20.