Guns

In the wake of the Las Vegas shooting last October, New Hampshire lawmakers are considering a ban on so-called “bump stocks” in the state.

When Stephen Paddock killed 58 people and wounded hundreds more during a country music concert, guns found in his hotel room were reportedly equipped with bump stock accessories that sped up their firing rate.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen has teamed up with colleagues across the aisle to sponsor a bill, introduced Thursday, that seeks to strengthen the federal database on gun background checks.

Fall Mountain Regional School District has found a solution to an ongoing dispute over use of its high school cafeteria for shooting practices.

The district changed its weapons policy earlier this year to allow the Junior ROTC program to use the high school for its marksmanship practices, where students shoot air rifles at targets.

The school board thought the cafeteria could be safely secured, but some community members disagree. They say having weapons of any kind on school property is not a good idea.

New Hampshire lawmakers are pushing for a 31-year-old single mom in Manchester to get her state job back. 

Fall Mountain Regional School District Superintendent Lori Landry will meet with community members Thursday night about a controversial plan to allow marksmanship practices in the local high school cafeteria.

The Fall Mountain Regional School Board approved an exemption to its weapons policy earlier this fall to allow the Army JROTC program to bring in air rifles for the practices subject to certain safety precautions -- things like closed blinds, locked doors and secured entry.

A New Hampshire House committee has rejected the late filing of a bill that would have banned so-called "bump stocks" like the ones used by the Las Vegas gunman to mimic the action of fully automatic guns.

Democratic Rep. Steve Shurtleff, of Concord, proposed the bill to ban the devices that helped Stephen Paddock kill 58 and wound hundreds in Las Vegas. He sought permission to introduce it, even though the Sept. 22 deadline already had passed.

New Hampshire Senate Democratic Leader Jeff Woodburn says he will file a bill to ban "bump stocks" for guns if his House counterpart cannot muster support to introduce a similar proposal.

Gun debate continues after the mass shooting in Las Vegas that claimed 58 lives and left hundreds injured last week. Woodburn questions if debate will occur at all in Concord.

New Hampshire House Minority Leader Steve Shurtleff, D-Concord, says he is going to introduce a bill to ban so-called "bump stocks" similar to what the Las Vegas shooter is reported to have used.

Sen. Maggie Hassan announced Wednesday she will help introduce a bill to prevent modifications that allow for rapid fire of semi-automatic weapons.

The sale and transfer of automatic weapons are illegal under the National Firearms Act, but accessories can be attached to semi-automatic weapons that increase rate of fire.

The Dallas Police department has suspended its use of a pistol made by New Hampshire-based Sig Sauer, the latest bit of controversy to visit the local gun-maker.

Newington-based gun manufacturer Sig Sauer is being sued by the State of New Jersey over claims it breached a contract with their State Police.

  New Hampshire saw a surge in the demand for gun sale background checks in 2016.

State police report administering 59,592 gun sale background checks last year. That marks a 19 percent increase from the 50,034 background checks the department conducted in 2015.

State police conducted 42,650 background checks in 2014.

In New Hampshire, all gun sale background checks are administered by the State Police.

Sgt. Michael McQuade says of the 59,592 background checks last year, 591 led to a denial of sale.

Governor Chris Sununu signed his first bill into law Wednesday, repealing the license requirement to carry a concealed gun.

The new law, which takes effect immediately, is the first tangible outcome of Republican control in Concord.

A bill doing away with the permit requirement for carrying a concealed firearm is headed to Governor Chris Sununu’s desk after the House voted in favor of it Thursday. 

Plenty of lawmakers didn’t make it to through the snow to the State House Thursday, but the House still managed to pass a bill to repeal New Hampshire’s concealed carry law.

Speaking just before the roll call, Representative John Burt urged the House to vote as it had before.

A proposal to require firearm safety training for New Hampshire lawmakers wishing to carry guns on the House floor has been defeated.

Democratic Minority Leader Steve Shurtleff proposed the rule Thursday after a representative dropped her loaded gun during a committee hearing this month.

House rules say lawmakers with the proper license can carry hidden guns in the House chamber. The new rule would have required them to take a speaker-approved gun safety course before being allowed to carry concealed weapons.

New Hampshire lawmakers heard hours of testimony Thursday on a bill that would require background checks for commercial firearm sales.

Representative Katherine Rogers,the main sponsor on the bill, says it’s designed to fill perceived loopholes in New Hampshire gun regulations.

"The current system’s loophole is exploited by criminals," Rogers says, "who can avoid background checks by purchasing firearms from unlicensed private sellers, often at gun shows, or through anonymous online transactions."

The New Hampshire Senate has voted on party lines to allow people to carry a concealed weapon without a permit. With Republicans leaders and Governor Chris Sununu favoring the bill, it’s expected to become law.

Similar bills have cleared the GOP-controlled legislatures in the past but have been vetoed by Democratic governors. With Governor Sununu promising to sign this bill, Republicans are moving fast. Senate majority leader Jeb Bradley is the bill's lead sponsor.

  Police in Somersworth, New Hampshire, say an 11-year-old brought a loaded gun to school.

Police say there's no evidence the gun was used or was intended to be used in any threatening manner at Somersworth Middle School on Wednesday.

It's not clear where the student got the firearm from. No one was hurt.

The Somersworth Police Department's juvenile division was handling the investigation.

A state representative faced a strong rebuke from the Speaker of the House after she dropped her loaded handgun while entering a House Education Committee hearing Thursday.

Milford Republican Carolyn Halstead apologized for the incident, in which her gun fell to the floor, but did not fire. She says it came loose from her waistband while she removed her backpack.

Attorney General Joseph Foster says New Hampshire will start reporting certain individuals suffering from mental illness to the national gun background check system.

Federal law prohibits the possession of firearms by people who have been "adjudicated as a mental defective" or committed to a hospital. But New Hampshire is one of a few states that doesn't report these records to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.