gencourt

HB 551-FN - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE

20Mar2025... 0818h

2025 SESSION

25-0201

05/09

HOUSE BILL 551-FN

AN ACT repealing the license to sell pistols and revolvers.

SPONSORS: Rep. Granger, Straf. 2; Rep. Sellers, Graf. 18

COMMITTEE: Criminal Justice and Public Safety

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ANALYSIS

This bill repeals the local licensing requirement for the sale of pistols and revolvers.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

20Mar2025... 0818h 25-0201

05/09

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Five

AN ACT repealing the license to sell pistols and revolvers.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 Immunity for Law Enforcement Officers; Cross-Reference Deleted. Amend RSA 159:6-g to read as follows:

159:6-g Immunity for Law Enforcement Officers. A law enforcement officer who issues a license in good faith under RSA 159:6 [or 159:8] shall be immune from liability resulting or arising from any action or misconduct with a firearm committed by any individual to whom a license to carry a firearm has been issued.

2 Firearm Purchase; Identity of Purchaser Required. Amend RSA 159:8 to read as follows:

159:8 [License to Sell.] Purchase of Firearm; Identity of Purchaser.

[The selectmen of a town and the chief of police of a city may grant licenses, the form of which shall be prescribed by the director of the division of state police, effective for not more than 3 years from date of issue, permitting the licensee to sell at retail pistols and revolvers subject to the following conditions, for breach of any of which the licensee shall be subject to forfeiture:

I. The business shall be carried on only in the building designated in the license or at any organized sporting show or arms collectors' meeting sponsored by a chartered club or organization.

II. The license or a copy thereof, certified by the issuing authority, shall be displayed on the premises where it can easily be read.

III.] No pistol, revolver, or other firearm shall be delivered to a purchaser not personally known to the seller or who does not present clear evidence of his or her identity; nor to a person who has been convicted of a felony.

3 Pistols and Revolvers; Sale to Nonresidents. Amend RSA 159:8-a to read as follows:

159:8-a Sales to Nonresidents; Attorney General. No person [holding a license issued under the provisions of RSA 159:8] shall sell a pistol or revolver to a nonresident unless such nonresident has authority under the laws of the state of his or her residence, to purchase a pistol or revolver in the state of his or her residence, or unless the director of the division of state police, for good cause shown, has issued to such nonresident a permit for the purchase of a pistol or revolver. The attorney general shall, at least once annually, file with the secretary of state a summary of the laws of each state of the United States relative to the purchase of pistols and revolvers in such states; and a [licensee] person may rely upon such summary in determining if a nonresident offering to purchase a pistol or revolver has authority to make such purchase under the laws of the state of his or her residence.

4 Pistols and Revolvers; Penalties. Amend RSA 159:8-b to read as follows:

159:8-b Penalties. If a [licensee] person shall in any court be found guilty of a violation of any of the provisions of RSA 159:8-a, such court, [shall,] for each such violation, [order the suspension of his license for a period of 3 months, and] may[, in addition,] impose a fine not in excess of $100.

5 Repeal. RSA 159:10, relative to penalties for sale without a license required under RSA 159:8, is repealed.

6 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2026.

LBA

25-0201

1/2/25

HB 551-FN- FISCAL NOTE

AS INTRODUCED

AN ACT repealing the license to sell pistols and revolvers.

FISCAL IMPACT:


Estimated State Impact
	FY 2025	FY 2026	FY 2027	FY 2028
Revenue	$0	$0	$0	$0
Revenue Fund	None
Expenditures*	Indeterminable
Funding Source	General Fund
Appropriations*	$0	$0	$0	$0
Funding Source	None
Expenditure = Cost of bill Appropriation = Authorized funding to cover cost of bill

Estimated Political Subdivision Impact
	FY 2025	FY 2026	FY 2027	FY 2028
County Revenue	$0	$0	$0	$0
County Expenditures	Indeterminable
Local Revenue	$0	Indeterminable Decrease
Local Expenditures	Indeterminable

METHODOLOGY:

This bill, effective January 1, 2026, repeals the local licensing requirement for the sale of pistols and revolvers. To the extent a municipality currently collects a fee for such licenses, it may experience a decrease in revenue. There is no impact expected on state revenues or expenditures.

This bill adds, deletes, or modifies a criminal penalty, or changes statute to which there is a penalty for violation. Therefore, this bill may have an impact on the judicial and correctional systems, which could affect prosecution, incarceration, probation, and parole costs, for the state, as well as county and local governments. A summary of such costs can be found at: https://gencourt.state.nh.us/lba/Budget/Fiscal_Notes/JudicialCorrectionalCosts.pdf. Aside from those relative to this bill's elimination of existing statutory criminal penalties, neither the Department of Safety nor the Department of Justice have identified any other impacts this bill may have on state, county, and local revenue or expenditures.

AGENCIES CONTACTED:

Judicial Branch, Judicial Council, Department of Justice, Department of Corrections, Department of Safety, New Hampshire Association of Counties, and New Hampshire Municipal Association