Giffords Applauds New Hampshire Senate for Passing Gun Safety Bills
May 23, 2019 — Giffords, the gun safety organization led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, praised the New Hampshire Senate for passing H.B. 109, a bill that requires background checks for commercial firearms sales, and H.B. 514, which imposes a waiting period between the purchase and delivery of a firearm. The Senate also passed a weaker version of H.B. 564, a bill that aims to create statewide gun-free zones in schools, which will now head to conference committee.
Statement from Molly Voigt, state legislative manager at Giffords:
“Today’s vote marks a new era for gun safety in New Hampshire. Leaders in the legislature are not afraid to tackle the state’s gun violence epidemic or stand up to the gun lobby. They understand background checks ensure people who shouldn’t have guns don’t get their hands on one and a waiting period has the potential to give someone a second chance at life. As legislation to keep guns out of schools heads into conference committee, we call on members at the table to make sure the final bill follows through on keeping Granite State students safe. We urge quick action to ensure these bills get to the governor’s desk so New Hampshire finally has stronger laws that can help save lives.”
H.B. 109 would require a background check on all commercial gun sales. Because federal gun laws don’t require a background check for every gun sale, H.B. 109 seeks to prevent dangerous people prohibited by law from possessing guns—like domestic abusers, people with violent criminal records, and people prohibited for mental health reasons—who can currently buy a gun from unlicensed sellers with no background check and no questions asked.
H.B. 514 imposes a waiting period between the purchase of a gun and its delivery. A report by Giffords Law Center, Confronting the Inevitability Myth: How Data-Driven Gun Policies Save Lives from Suicide , highlights the lethal connection between immediate gun access and suicide. The report finds that over half of all suicides result from self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Yet the link between gun access and suicide risk remains dangerously misunderstood, denied, and ignored. While the gun lobby continues to perpetuate the myth that guns play no role in suicide, the reality is the vast majority of people who attempt suicide survive their attempt, recover, and do not go on to die by suicide—unless they use firearms. This is why guns are used in 5% of suicide attempts but cause over 50% of suicide deaths.
Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence recently released the latest edition of its Annual Gun Law Scorecard , which grades and ranks each state on its gun laws, and found that New Hampshire received an “F.” New Hampshire further weakened its poor gun laws in 2018 by repealing its prohibition on carrying firearms in vehicles. Currently, the state does not require a permit to carry concealed guns in public, nor does it require background checks at gun shows, online, or in private sales. New Hampshire could raise its F grade by instituting background checks.