New Hampshire Gun Laws
Gun Laws Overview
RIFLES & SHOTGUNS | HANDGUNS | |
---|---|---|
Permit to Purchase | No | No |
Registration of Firearms | No | No |
Licensing of Owners | No | No |
Permit to Carry | No | No* |
*A permit to carry is available, but it is not required to carry a handgun either openly or concealed. The list and map below are included as a tool to assist you in validating your information. We have made every effort to report the information correctly, however reciprocity and recognition agreements are subject to frequent change. The information is not intended as legal advice or a restatement of law and does not include: restrictions that may be placed on non-resident permits, individuals under the age of 21, qualifying permit classes, and/or any other factor which may limit reciprocity and/or recognition. For any particular situation, a licensed local attorney must be consulted for an accurate interpretation. YOU MUST ABIDE WITH ALL LAWS: STATE, FEDERAL AND LOCAL. |
STATE STATUS | |
---|---|
Castle Doctrine | Enacted |
No-Net Loss | No Legislation |
Right to Carry Confidentiality | Provisions Enacted |
Right to Carry in Restaurants | Legal |
Right To Carry Laws | No Permit Required |
Right To Carry Reciprocity and Recognition | True Reciprocity |
Right to Keep & Bear Arms State Constitutional Provisions | With Provisions |
Laws on Purchase, Possession and Carrying of Firearms
Purchase
There are no state licensing requirements for the purchase of any rifle, shotgun or handgun. MORE |
Possession
There are no state licensing requirements for the possession of rifles, shotguns or handguns. It is unlawful for any person who has been convicted of a felony to own, possess or control any firearm. MORE |
Carry
New Hampshire is a permitless carry state, and New Hampshire Statute 159:6(III) provides that "The availability of a license to carry a loaded pistol or revolver under this section or under any other provision of law shall not be construed to impose a prohibition on the unlicensed transport or carry of a firearm in a vehicle, or on or about one’s person, whether openly or concealed, loaded or unloaded, by a resident, nonresident, or alien if that individual is not otherwise prohibited by statute from possessing a firearm in the state of New Hampshire." MORE |
Preemption
The state of New Hampshire shall have authority and jurisdiction over the sale, purchase, ownership, use, possession, transportation, licensing, permitting, taxation, or other matter pertaining to firearms, firearms components, ammunition, or firearms supplies in the state. MORE |
Machine Guns
In the absence of any state law governing automatic weapons, federal law controls the registration and regulation of machine guns in New Hampshire. |
Antiques and Replicas
Antiques, defined as any handgun "utilizing an early type of ignition," such as flintlocks, percussion and pin fires, are exempt from the above regulations. No handgun which utilizes centerfire or rimfire cartridges will be considered an antique. |
Range Protection
No person who owns, operates, or uses a shooting range in this state shall be subject to civil liability or criminal prosecution in any matter relating to noise or noise pollution... MORE |
Thursday, May 16, 2002
Laconia, New Hampshire police chief William Baker is trying to ban concealed guns during the annual Bike Week. ...
Monday, October 1, 2001
When a masked man entered Baroody's Market one night, pointed a gun at two women behind the counter ...
Monday, October 1, 2001
When a masked man entered Baroody's Market one night, pointed a gun at two women behind the counter ...
Tuesday, October 1, 1996
A Manchester, New Hampshire, landlord, tired of break-ins at an apartment building she owned, single-handedly confronted three trespassers ...
Tuesday, August 1, 1995
Concord, New Hampshire, resident Stephen Lockawich and his 100-lb. chocolate lab, Mousse, were scouring woods for shed deer ...
Monday, November 1, 1993
Awakened by noises in his Manchester, New Hampshire, home, John Kazakis reached for his phone to call police. ...
Sunday, July 1, 1990
Warren Horst of Amherst, N.H., was in his home when he heard someone enter during the middle of ...
Monday, January 1, 1990
Bruce Paquette and a friend were hunting in the vicinity of Merrimack, N.H., when they came across a ...
Friday, July 1, 1988
When three men brandishing knives broke into William Sylvester's Nashua, N.H., home and tried to rob him and ...
Monday, February 1, 1988
Bill Sanborn, an Andover, N.H., auto repair shop owner, got tired of thieves stealing stereos from his customer's ...