Contact: Joe Mullin, New England States Senior Coordinator
On August 7, Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus Member Governor Chris Sununu took a stand for New Hampshire’s sportsmen and women by vetoing House Bill 687 (HB 687) – an unduly restrictive piece of legislation that curbs individuals’ Second Amendment rights.
Under HB 687, an individual may have access to firearms and ammunition restricted if a petitioner alleges under oath that the respondent poses “a significant risk” to himself/herself or others. If the court grants the petitioner’s request for an “extreme risk protection order,” the respondent will be immediately served by law enforcement and must temporarily relinquish control over any firearms and ammunition. This legislation is void of due process, as a court may issue the order “with or without actual notice to respondent” following an ex parte risk protection order hearing – the result of which would also prevent the accused from purchasing any further firearms.
In the Governor’s veto message, he highlights the fact that HB 687 “goes too far and would weaken the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens,” adding that this bill “could lead to situations where law-abiding Granite Staters have their property seized with no notice or opportunity to speak in their own defense.” This action lines up roughly one year after the Governor vetoed several anti-firearms bills that reached his desk in 2019.
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation applauds Governor Sununu for protecting New Hampshire’s Second Amendment rights by vetoing this restrictive bill.
Studies conducted at both the state and federal level have found that the number of hunters and trappers have been on a generally declining trend over the past several decades. To increase recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of hunters and trappers, which initiative do you think would have the greatest impact?
