This week is a big week for firearms owners.
There are nine firearms related bills having hearings this week.
Several very important bills have hearings in the Senate on Thursday, including Constitutional Carry and Preemption (and I will give you more information about those hearings tomorrow), but one bill being heard tomorrow before the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety committee will eliminate the effective ban on backyard shooting ranges.
You see, under current law, it is illegal to discharge a firearm in the “compact part of a town.”
But that doesn’t even reveal half the story.
Unfortunately, the definition of “compact part” includes a vast portion of this state, even some of the most remote parts of New Hampshire’s cities and towns. Any area where 6 or more houses are within 300 feet each other is consider a “compact part” of the town.
Not even the landowner can give permission to shoot there.
What is the only way around this law? Go crawling to the police chief, and hope he will give you written permission to shoot in your own backyard.
Supporters of the current law regularly say it is about safety, but the reality is that the current law has very little to do with safety.
The current law doesn’t prevent unsafe shooting, it prohibits all shooting.
There are other statutes to deal with a person who endangers others by willfully shooting in an unsafe manner.
An individual with 25 acres behind his house, who has 5 or more neighbors who are within 300 feet of each other, but all close to the street, could very safely shoot in his backyard, but this law still prevents him from doing so.
Not only that, but even an indoor range, properly set up, is prohibited by this statute, unless the chief of police decides to allow it.
What’s more, if someone can manage to get their police chief to approve their range, nothing prohibits a new chief from deciding he doesn’t like guns, and revoking the permission granted.
Imagine trying to run an indoor range as a business with the specter of being shut down looming each time the police chief changes?
Even defensive use of a firearm is a crime under this law if your life is not immediate danger.
Have a rabid coon wandering around your yard? If you live in a “compact part” of a town, it is a crime to shoot it, unless you meet the very high burden of proving fear of imminent serious bodily injury or death.
It is time for this law to be repealed.
And that is exactly what HB 1341 does.
NHFC has tried to get this law repealed in the past, but when the Democrats were in control of the legislature, several Republicans helped them gut the bill, specifically allowing warrant-less inspections of your backyard range.
NHFC was able to get that good bill gone bad killed, but some of those same Republicans who helped gut that bill two years ago are still on the committee hearing the bill tomorrow.
I don’t want our good bill to be gutted again this year.
That is why I need your help.
I need you to call and/or email the committee members, tell them you want them to recommend passage of this bill, without amendment.
- Chairman: Elaine Swinford(r)-Center Barnstead: 776-0274 elainesw@metrocast.net
- V. Chairman: Larry Gagne(r)-Manchester: 625-9692 lgagne25@comcast.net
- Gene Charron(r)-Chester: 887-2172 genecharron@comcast.net
- David Welch (r)-Kingston: 642-4402 repdawelch@hotmail.com
- Dennis Fields (r)-Sanbornton: 528-6224 dennis.fields@leg.state.nh.us
- Robert Fesh (r)-Derry: 434-1550 rmfesh@comcast.net
- Moe Villeneuve (r)-Bedford: 472-6928 moeville@peoplepc.com
- Jason Antosz (r)-Epping: jason.antosz@leg.state.nh.us
- Phil Greazzo (r)-Manchester: 669-0494 phil.greazzo@leg.state.nh.us
- Kenneth Kreis (r)-Canterbury: 267-6449 ken.kreis@leg.state.nh.us
- Robbie Parsons (r)-Milton: 652-9009
- Kyle Tasker (r)-Northwood: 724-4716 kjtasker@gmail.com
- Mark Warden (r)-Manchester: mark.warden@leg.state.nh.us
- Laura Pantelakos (d)-Portsmouth: 436-2148 lcpantelakos@comcast.net
- Roger Berube (d)-Somersworth: 692-5653 rogerberube@hotmail.com
- Stephen Shurtleff (d)-Penacook: 753-4563 steve.shurtleff@leg.state.nh.us
- Philip Ginsburg (d)-Durham: 868-2312 phil.ginsburg@leg.state.nh.us
Or if you want, you can join NHFC’s Treasurer, James Wheeler, who will be testifying at the hearing tomorrow in Room 104 of the Legislative Office Building(behind the State House).
It is critical the committee knows you want this bill passed without amendment.
The law prohibiting backyard shooting ranges needs to be repealed. You can help make it happen.
But I need you to act soon.
In Liberty,
Jonathan R. Evans, Esq.
President – NHFC
P.S. HB 1341 will end the ban on backyard shooting ranges, but it needs your help. Call and/or email the committee today, tell them you want HB 1341 passed without amendment.
