On Wednesday, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu signed a “constitutional carry” bill into law, which allows residents to carry a concealed loaded gun without a license. The law marks a victory for Sununu, who made the bill a top priority while entering office.
The new law had been in the works for awhile but was shot down by then-Governor Maggie Hassan (a Democrat), who argued it could weaken public safety. The Concord Monitor reports that the GOP-led legislature was able to push the law through. Sununu said the law was a no-brainer. “It is common-sense legislation,” he stated. “This is about making sure that our laws on our books are keeping people safe while remaining true to the live-free-or-die spirit.”
Under the new law, residents will have the option of carrying a license, as opposed to the process being mandatory. And they can take their guns wherever they please, including a purse or car.
Residents previously applied for a conceal carry license through local authorities and were awarded one if they were deemed “suitable.” New Hampshire was already an open carry state, but critics believed the old rules were “unfair” due to subjectivity, thus making it difficult to have a weapon. But some don’t see it that way, including Ray Buckley, chairman of the state Democratic party, who criticized Governor Sununu:
“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. 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.”
New Hampshire is the 12th state to pass this law, and gun laws remain a hot topic. Also on Wednesday, an appeals court upheld Maryland’s ban on assault rifles while arguing the Second Amendment can’t be extended to “weapons of war.”
(Via Concord Monitor)