Why It Matters: Introduced on January 3, 2024, New Hampshire House Bill 1186 (HB 1186) – An Act Relative to Firearm Purchaser’s Privacy, seeks to protect Granite Staters from being tracked or halted by financial institutions when purchasing firearms and ammunition. HB 1186 was referred to the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee on the same day. On May 15, 2024, HB 1186 passed the Senate. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) submitted testimony in support of HB 1186 early in the session (January 31, 2024), and supported the New Hampshire Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus’ leadership on the issue as the bill worked through the legislative process in the months that followed. We thank the Caucus and the legislature at large for recognizing the need for these important protections, and we now look forward to Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus Chair, Governor Chris Sununu signing HB 1186 into law.
Highlights
- HB 1186 prohibits the assigning of a specific merchant code to the sale of firearms, ammunition, or firearm accessories, and provides for penalties and an enforcement mechanism.
- The Firearm Purchaser’s Privacy Act prohibits a person or entity involved in facilitating or processing an electronic payment transaction and licensed to do business in this state, including a payment card issuer or payment card network, from assigning a merchant category code.
- Following the Governor’s signature, a firearms retailer may not provide a firearms code to a payment card issuer or payment card network and may only use or be assigned a merchant category code for general merchandise retailers or sporting goods retailers.
- On February 22, 2024, HB 1186 passed the House.
- On May 15, 2024, HB 1186 passed the Senate, teeing the bill up for Governor Sununu’s signature.
Introduced on January 3, 2024, New Hampshire House Bill 1186 (HB 1186) – An Act Relative to Firearm Purchaser’s Privacy, seeks to protect Granite Staters from being tracked or halted by financial institutions when purchasing firearms and ammunition. Protecting the personal information of sportsmen and women is paramount to the continued success of the time-honored outdoor traditions that have long been enjoyed by Granite Staters. By prohibiting financial institutions from distinguishing firearm retailers from other general or sporting-goods retailers, as well as prohibiting the existence of a list or registry of privately owned firearms in the State, HB 1186 ensures that hunters and recreational shooters may continue to lawfully purchase the sporting equipment needed to partake in the outdoor traditions that have stood as societal pillars in New Hampshire for generations, while simultaneously providing the funds necessary for the Fish and Game Department to carry out its mission.
Enacted in 1937, the Pittman-Robertson Act redirected previously existing excise taxes on firearms and ammunition to a dedicated fund to be used specifically for wildlife conservation purposes. These critical conservation dollars fund a variety of efforts including enhanced fish and wildlife habitat and populations, recreational access to public and private lands, shooting ranges and boat access facilities, wetlands protection and its associated water filtration and flood retention functions, and improved soil and water conservation – all which benefit the public at large, not just sportsmen and women.
Without this important consumer protection, hunters and recreational shooters in New Hampshire could be subject to discrimination by financial or anti-sportsmen organizations, which would likely deter participation and decrease critical conservation funding. With the May 15, 2024, Senate passage, HB 1186 is now set up for Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus Chair, Governor Chris Sununu’s signature.
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation would like to thank our New Hampshire Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus for their leadership and ensuring the Granite State’s sporting community’s privacy is protected as well as protecting the community from discriminatory practices for lawfully purchasing products to their outdoor pursuits.
