IMMEDIATE ACTION IS NEEDED ON HB 1161

YOUR IMMEDIATE ACTION IS NEEDED ON HB 1161 a NH gun law

Governor Lynch already vetoed this bipartisan firearm bill, HB 1161.

CALL/TELL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES to override Governor Lynch’s veto of HB 1161 on Wednesday, October 13, 2010.

The General Court wisely passed a law repealing an unnecessary infringement on your firearms freedom in NH, and then the governor vetoed it. Call your reps and ask them to champion an override effort to end this infringement.

What is HB 1161? This bill repeals the requirement to obtain a ‘license to sell’ in order to sell pistols or revolvers at retail. GO-NH asked that it be amended, and you would think after the Heller and Chicago decisions, the firearm issue would have been settled. However, thanks to Governor Lynch’s veto of HB 1161, having a federal firearm license, and complying with all applicable zoning and planning laws, is not enough in New Hampshire. The arbitrary granting or denial of licenses to sell pistols and revolvers at retail will remain the law in New Hampshire if Governor Lynch has his way.

A gun store seeking to sell pistols and revolvers must also obtain a special NH license to sell pistols and revolvers at retail, typically from the local chief of police, with the cost of the license, term of the license (up to 3 years) and criterion for license issuance totally arbitrary! There are no explicit standards or clear provisions for an appeal of a denial or revocation of such license.

How does this affect you and your Firearms Civil Rights? Just like this: If an anti-firearms, anti-2nd Amendment police chief (and we have some in NH!) decides he does not want to permit firearms sales in your city or town, he simply withholds the license, and the business doesn’t open (or stops operating). The Chief need not justify his decision: THERE IS NO OVERSIGHT! The Chief’s word is final and unable to be appealed.

Bottom line: YOUR favorite firearms shop can be shut down on the whim of a public servant who, in this instance, is not accountable to you or anyone. New shops with competitive prices can be “killed in the womb”, so to speak.

It is imperative that you call your reps and ask them to champion an override effort to end this infringement!

Who’s your Rep? Go to: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/members/wml.aspx and find out, and then send them an email or make a phone call.