ARS Statement on Passage of New Hampshire Law to Help Keep Guns Out of Hands of Domestic Abusers

April 30, 2014

Pia Carusone, Senior Advisor at Americans for Responsible Solutions, issued the following statement on the New Hampshire House’s passage of “Joshua’s law.” Named in honor of a young man shot by his father at a New Hampshire YWCA last year, the bill makes domestic violence a distinct crime, which up until now has not existed in New Hampshire’s criminal statutes. Under the bill, domestic violence would include violent actions, threats or stalking by a person’s spouse, intimate partner, or other household members. Domestic violence is involved in half of the homicides committed in New Hampshire and 92 percent of the state’s murder-suicides.

“Without a clear legal distinction of what constitutes domestic violence, it has been difficult – if not impossible – for the state of New Hampshire to determine which names to submit to the background check system. By making New Hampshire the 36th state to consider domestic violence its own category of crime, this legislation will help better identify domestic violence misdemeanants when conducting a background check. This is yet another example of a balanced approach to keeping guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and preventing gun violence. While Congress has failed to act on this issue, it is encouraging to see New Hampshire lawmakers working together to prevent guns from getting into the wrong hands, and we look forward to Governor Hassan signing this common-sense legislation into law.”