Why It Matters: Earlier this year, New Hampshire House Bill 1042 (HB 1042) – An Act Relative to the use of Air Rifles for Hunting Game, was introduced and supported with recommended amendments by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) in written and oral testimony. Ultimately, the House Committee on Fish and Game and Marine Resources committed HB 1042 to, “Further Study” and ended discussion on the matter for the session. Fast forward to this past Saturday, June 15, 2024, the New Hampshire Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus hosted a live fire experience for Committee members, Commissioners of the New Fish and Game, and Fish and Game Law Enforcement leadership at the Sig Sauer Experience Center in Epping, NH.
Highlights
- On June 15, 2024, members of the New Hampshire Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, with coordination from Co-Chair and National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses Executive Council President, Representative Jeff Goley, attend a live fire/ hands on, air rifle demonstration at the Sig Sauer Experience Center in Epping, NH.
- Members of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Commission, Commissioners DeBow, Stohl, Hodgson, and Green were in attendance along with Colonel Kevin Jordan and other leadership from Fish and Game.
- Caucus Members and agency staff evaluated the efficacy of modern pneumatic air rifles and their capabilities to ethically harvest larger game species. Shooters engaged ballistic gel targets to see first-hand the performance and lethality of modern air rifles.
With the introduction of HB 1042 earlier this year, the conversations around the use of air rifles in New Hampshire as a means of take, continued after the bill was committed to further study. With the completion of the New Hampshire Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus recent field trip to the Sig Sauer Experience Center in Epping, NH to see first-hand the effectiveness and ethical lethality of modern pneumatic air rifles, attendees came away with additional knowledge and experience with air rifle platforms. Many who were initially skeptical now have greater confidence in the technology and seemed to reconsider their stance on air rifles as an ethical and effective means of take for future use in the Granite State.
CSF engaged early on in support of the expanded access HB 1042 would have created for New Hampshire’s sportsmen and women, but supported the bill only with the recommendation of amending the bill to account for the conservation funding that would be missed during the increased sales of air rifles should the bill have continued on and passed the legislature. Currently air rifles are not subject to the 10-11%, manufacturer-level excise tax that all other methods of take are subject to which funds conservation in the Granite State.
CSF has worked closely in other states to expand the use of air rifles and air bows, most recently in Oklahoma and Utah. In both instances, legislators included a funding mechanism that allows air rifles to contribute to state conservation funding.
CSF looks forward to working with the New Hampshire Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus in the next session to bring forth a new bill that includes a conservation funding provision and provides additional opportunities for New Hampshire’s sporting community.
