Sununu Signs Conceal Carry Permit Repeal Into Law

CONCORD, NH — Gov. Chris Sununu, R-NH, signed SB 12, Constitutional Carry legislation, into law on Feb. 22, 2017, ending what 2nd Amendment advocates say was nearly a century of discrimination against law-abiding citizens requiring them to seek police permission to carry a handgun that isn’t in plain view. While Republicans and gun supporters celebrated the signing, Democrats and others chastised the governor in press statements.

The law repeals the requirement that gun owners request permission from police chiefs to have a conceal carry permit. The change allows a person to carry a loaded, concealed pistol or revolver without a license unless such person is otherwise prohibited by New Hampshire statute. It also requires the director of the division of state police to negotiate and enter into agreements with other jurisdictions to recognize in those jurisdictions the validity of the license to carry issued in this state.

“SB12 ensures New Hampshire citizens are guaranteed the fundamental right to carry a firearm in defense of themselves and their families, as prescribed by Article 2a of our state constitution,” Sununu said in a statement. “This common sense legislation aligns our concealed carry laws with that of our neighboring states of Vermont and Maine and states across the country. This is about safety. This is about making sure that the laws on our books are keeping people safe while remaining true to the Live Free or Die spirit that makes New Hampshire the great state that it is. This is a commitment I made to the people of New Hampshire and I am proud today to fulfill that commitment, signing SB12 into law.”

Jeanie Forrester, a former state Senator and gubernatorial challenger to Sununu last year who now leads the New Hampshire GOP, applauded the signing.

“Throughout his campaign, Gov. Sununu said signing this measure into law would be one of the first things he does upon taking office,” she noted. “He's holding true to that commitment. This new law secures our constitutional rights, catches us up to our neighbor states and makes it easier for people to defend their lives and property. Live free or die.”

The New Hampshire Democratic Party, however, chastised the governor for signing gun legislation – instead of other issues – as his first bill signing.

“The governor claims concealed carry is about 'safety,' but he is making it harder for law enforcement officials to keep track of guns that fall into the wrong hands,” claimed Ray Buckley, the head of the NHDP. “The vast majority of Granite Staters support common sense reforms like background checks and it is those reforms that will make us safer, not more accessibility.”

Buckley added, “New Hampshire has imminent issues that need the governor's attention, but further relaxing the state's notoriously lax gun laws is not one of them. There are Granite Staters who need a raise, who need better health insurance options, and who need assistance with drug abuse. They can't afford to wait for Gov. Sununu to check off his pet projects before he gets to tackling serious problems."

Zandra Rice Hawkins, of Granite State Progress, also condemned the signing.

“We are extremely concerned that Gov. Sununu chose to side with the gun lobby over local police chiefs and public safety advocates,” she said in an email, claiming that “sex offenders and other dangerous individuals” would now be able to carry hidden and loaded weapons without a license. “Over the past 30 years, the gun lobby has pushed states to dramatically weaken firearms laws,” she noted. “Instead, we should look at strong public safety measures that can be taken to balance the rights of individuals with the safety of our communities. New Hampshire’s concealed carry law was already among the most lenient in the country, even before Gov. Sununu completely abolished it. More than half of the states in our country require that a concealed carry applicant demonstrate that they have received some firearms training, and almost every state also imposes at least some restrictions on the locations in which concealed weapons may be carried, especially in places where disputes frequently occur.”

Second Amendment advocates, however, including former state representative candidate and Women’s Defense League of NH member Susan Olsen, have been advocating overturning the law for years, citing its discriminatory history of targeting foreign-born, European immigrants in the early 1900s from defending themselves and as a weapon for mill owners to bust workers and keep them in line.

“The truth is, this is not about firearms,” she noted in a Patch column last month. “This is about the state of New Hampshire upholding a law meant to punish you based on the national origin of your DNA, the number of your chromosomes, your work affiliation or, at its blackest and ugliest, simple disdain felt for you by someone who swore to uphold your constitutional and human rights.”

In a statement, the Women's Defense League of NH said some of their members were "honored to be a part of this historic day along with New Hampshire's 2nd amendment community and other Senate and House members who made part of today's historic event possible." In a statement, the org added, "We congratulate the governor on ending almost 100 years of state-sanctioned discrimination."

Caption: Gov. Chris Sununu, R-NH, is flocked by members of the Women's Defense League of NH and other women on Feb. 22, 2017, for the signing of SB 12, which repealed New Hampshire's pistol permit requirement for conceal carry. Courtesy photo.