New Hampshire: House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee to Hear Egregious Anti-Gun Bill Tomorrow

Contact members of this committee today and urge them to OPPOSE House Bill 1589 

Tomorrow at 1:15 PM, the state House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee is scheduled to hear an egregious anti-gun bill which seeks to impose “universal background checks” on law-abiding gun owners in the Granite State.  House Bill 1589, if enacted into law, would criminalize the private sale, transfer or loan of any firearm to anyone outside of the immediate family without a background check from a licensed firearms dealer.  This extreme legislation would criminalize commonplace activities such as loaning a rifle to a friend on a hunting trip, allowing a friend to try out your gun at a shooting range or selling your gun to a friend or neighbor - subjecting the transferor to the penalties of a Class B felony.

“Universal background checks” will do nothing to reduce crime, and will only affect law-abiding gun owners by creating cumbersome mandates and restrictions on the lawful purchase and possession of firearms.  It is already illegal to knowingly sell or transfer a firearm to someone classified as a prohibited person, and is a felony for a prohibited person to buy, own or possess a firearm.  HB 1589 seeks to make drastic and unnecessary changes to current state firearm laws that will impose unduly restrictions on law-abiding citizens rather than addressing the true problems associated with illegal straw purchases – lack of enforcement of current law.  In addition, a January 2013 internal U.S. Department of Justice memorandum summarizing so-called “gun violence” prevention strategies states that the effectiveness of “universal background checks” depends on “requiring gun registration.”

The House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee hearing on HB 1589 will be held tomorrow, January 21 at 1:15 PM in Representatives Hall in Concord.  Please attend this important hearing and see below for contact information for members of this committee.  It is vital that you contact members of the House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee TODAY and urge them to OPPOSE this misguided legislation.

Representative Edward Butler (D-7), Chairman

Harts Location

(603) 271-3369

[email protected]

Representative Donna Schlachman (D-18), Vice Chairman

Exeter

(603) 772-4934

[email protected]

Representative Chris Muns (D-21), Clerk

Hampton

(603) 929-3629

[email protected]

Representative Angeline Kopka (D-28)

Nashua

(603) 577-5561

Representative Catherine Mulholland (D-17)

Grafton

(603) 523-4497

[email protected]

Representative Joe Scarlotto (D-31)

Portsmouth

(603) 501-1800

[email protected]

Representative Donald Flanders (R-3)

Laconia

(603) 524-5369

[email protected]

Representative Pamela Tucker (R-23)

Greenland

(603) 431-8982

[email protected]

Representative Ralph Doolan (R-1)

Littleton

(603) 259-3187

Representative Kenneth Gidge (D-33)

Nashua

(603) 888-2355

[email protected]

Representative Ruth Heden (D-23)

Milford

(603) 673-7036

[email protected]

Representative Kermit Williams (D-4)

Wilton

(603) 654-7684

[email protected]

Representative Ronald Belanger (R-8)

Salem

(603) 893-0659

[email protected]

Representative Laura Jones (R-24)

Rochester

(603) 948-2264

[email protected]

Representative Emily Sandblade (R-18)

Manchester

(603) 845-3228

[email protected]

Representative Jill Hammond (D-24)

Peterborough

(603) 547-0715

[email protected]

Representative Richard McNamara (D-38)

Hillsborough

(603) 464-0212

[email protected]

Representative John Hunt (R-11)

Rindge

(603) 899-6000

[email protected]

Representative Frederick Rice (R-21)

Hampton

(603) 929-1517

[email protected]

Representative Keith Murphy (R-7)

Bedford

(603) 488-5792

[email protected]