AN ACT requiring background checks for all firearm sales. NH HB1589

[soloman02]

After SYG repeal passing house last year, I am cautious. Background checks, too many people think is a moderate response. I am hoping that considering this thing is so badly written it won't, but they may seek to fix issues with amendments.

Wait until I testify. I directly call out the sponsor for not writing the bill. For it being written instead by San Francisco attorneys.

 

[RadiCS]

Wait until I testify. I directly call out the sponsor for not writing the bill. For it being written instead by San Francisco attorneys.

Awesome... I wish I could watch.

 

[soloman02]

Citizens for a strong nh is against the bill. A lady from 2a sisters just spoke against it as well.

 

[Kaldone]

Someone NH liberty Alliance. Opposed. We don't need to register knives and power tools and they are used in more violent crimes than rifles and sshotguns. She is also a bringing up loans at shoots on private property.

 

[soloman02]

Awesome... I wish I could watch.

It is being video taped but I don't have access to that and will have to wait for it to be posted online somewhere.

A lot of the people who were here before the break have left.

 

[DispositionMatrix]

I directly call out the sponsor for not writing the bill.

This needs to be done. Thanks. But I hope you will go after the specific problems within the bill as well. Reading above, members-violating-their-oaths rants just alienate the other legislators. Legislators, regardless of party, have more affinity with each other than they do with the small people.

 

[soloman02]

This needs to be done. Thanks. But I hope you will go after the specific problems within the bill as well. Reading above, members-violating-their-oaths rants just alienate the other legislators. Legislators, regardless of party, have more affinity with each other than they do with the small people.

I didn't request enough time for that. Still haven't spoken yet.

 

[soloman02]

Somebody brought a surprise egg from germany and is talking about it. She is for the bill. Flaming lib she is.

 

[Kaldone]

Somebody brought a surprise egg from germany and is talking about it. She is for the bill. Flaming lib she is.

Talkinng about how we regulate those coming into U.S. , we shoul regulate weapons too.


How about not regulate either.....

 

[soloman02]

Remaining 14 speakers are in opposition to the bill. I'm somewhere in that list.

 

[Kaldone]

Solo up. Recording audio.

 

[soloman02]

I spoke! Shaking like a leaf lol!

 

[Kaldone]

I spoke! Shaking like a leaf lol!

Didn't show. You did great.

 

[napoleon1815]

Great job...would love to hear or read what you had to say!

 

[soloman02]

Didn't show. You did great.

Afterward I was shakin. Still shaking a little. And towards the end when I make my accusation I was shaking a bit. Being an introvert makes me nervous when speaking publicly.

- - - Updated - - -

Great job...would love to hear or read what you had to say!

Everyone will get it don't worry.

 

[PatMcD]

My hat is off to those who attended.

My gut tells me this won't get out of committee (not sure if NH govt. works the same as ME).

 

[Kevin_NH]

Time to teach freshman democrat Elaine: stop cribbing legislation from San Fran!

Jumping in here...does this even have a chance of passing?

I didn't think the house would pass recreational marijuana, so anything is possible. If this bill makes it out of the Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee, then it has to pass the criminal justice committee, then goes to a full vote. I'd love to see it listed as ITL sooner rather than later.

Short answer, HB1589 has all but ZERO chance of survival, but we'd best stomp it now, teach this freshman democrat to stop cribbing her legislation from San Francisco.

 

[Kaldone]

Penny Dean up. States law written horribly.

Saying this would be worse than MA with FA-10. Also something about language of bill makes it so if FFL followed this, they would break federal law.

 

[soloman02]

Penny dean speaking now. I talked to her during the break and had no idea I was talking to her lol.

 

[drgrant]

I hope someone mentioned that if this bill passed, it would also overload the NH handgun POC service for NICS, aka, the thing that is already overloaded ALL THE TIME. Small potatoes compared to the rest of this pile of crap, but it would definitely make that situation worse.

-Mike

 

[soloman02]

I hope someone mentioned that if this bill passed, it would also overload the NH handgun POC service for NICS, aka, the thing that is already overloaded ALL THE TIME. Small potatoes compared to the rest of this pile of crap, but it would definitely make that situation worse.

-Mike

It was kind of mentioned. Several people mentioned how there are currently delays and that sometimes the system is down preventing a transfer from taking place at that time.

 

[Buggin]

Yup. Thanks to those that went and especially to those that spoke.
I hope to make it to the next one.

 

[soloman02]

Dr Joseph Hannnon from my hometown of Lee nh is the last speaker also in opposition.

 

[soloman02]

And finally, the hearing is over, just over four hours later.

The statehouse is cool. Was my first time here.

 

[NEVER SURRENDER]

And finally, the hearing is over, just over four hours later.

The statehouse is cool. Was my first time here.

Your doing great work. Keep it up.

 

[xtry51]

Thanks everyone who made it out.

 

[soloman02]

Anyone know when and where we can find video of the hearing?

 

[WatchCityCPA]

So, after attending my second hearing in a week, more information about the three little pigs that went to the legislature to fight for gun rights:

NHFC: present (Rep. Hoell) and strongly opposed to 1589, just like they opposed SB244.
GONH: present (Mitch Kopacz) and strongly opposed to 1589, just like they opposed SB244 (even while NRA did not take a stance on that bill - kudos for again doing what's right for NH and breaking ranks with the mothership).
PGNH: opposes the bill on their website but was conspicuously absent at the hearing... and they support SB244.

Could somebody correct me? Did I just miss the PGNH testimony? I still cannot believe that they would not show up - it must be me that missed something here.

By the way, do watch the PGNH testimony on SB244 in this thread.

 

[soloman02]

So, after attending my second hearing in a week, more information about the three little pigs that went to the legislature to fight for gun rights:

NHFC: present (Rep. Hoell) and strongly opposed to 1589, just like they opposed SB244.
GONH: present (Mitch Kopacz) and strongly opposed to 1589, just like they opposed SB244 (even while NRA did not take a stance on that bill - kudos for again doing what's right for NH and breaking ranks with the mothership).
PGNH: opposes the bill on their website but was conspicuously absent at the hearing... and they support SB244.

Could somebody correct me? Did I just miss the PGNH testimony? I still cannot believe that they would not show up - it must be me that missed something here.

By the way, do watch the PGNH testimony on SB244 in this thread.

I did not see Sam Cohen at the hearing. Nor did I hear anyone say they were there on behalf of PGNH.

 

[soloman02]

VIDEO!!

Ok not quite. I haven't found video yet but Kaldone was awesome and recorded audio of my testimony and sent it to me. So I created a video with a static image so you guys can at least hear what I said. Unfortunately, The sponsor of the bill Elaine Andrew-Ahearns had left an hour earlier and so I could not see the expression on her face when I accused hr of not writing the bill.

So below is the testimony and the written testimony that I submitted to the committee.

[video=youtube_share;vQ6Xj2ovp9U]http://youtu.be/vQ6Xj2ovp9U[/video]

Written testimony that I followed while speaking (mostly).

I would like to begin by making note that this bill will make a currently legal activity of letting a friend use your firearm under your supervision a class b felony punishable by up to seven years in prison. It also would make you guilty of a class b felony if your girlfriend or boyfriend uses your firearm to defend themselves from a home invasion.

And lastly, I would like to say that Elaine Andrew-Ahearns should write her own bill. This bill was written for her by a group of elitist lawyers from San Francisco. We are our own state. We do not let San Francisco dictate our laws and public policy. This bill should be withdrawn for wasting this committee's time and/or voted inexpedient to legislate.

I also submitted more written testimony to the committee:

HB 1589 is a bad bill that does not account for the fact that law already exists for which every gun owner must follow (see RSA 159:7 and 159:14). In this bill currently legal and innocuous activities become a Class B Felony, punishable by up to seven years in prison (and loss of firearms under federal law) for merely handing a firearm to someone else at a range under the your supervision. It is also a Class B Felony if a woman uses her boyfriend’s firearm(s) to protect herself in a home invasion. New Hampshire does not need more victimless laws.

This bill states "over 100 guns that originated in New Hampshire were recovered in crimes committed in Massachusetts, a state that requires background checks before private gun sales and transfers." What the bill fails to mention is in that same 2009 ATF document, the number one state for firearms used in crimes in Massachusetts is Massachusetts itself. A state that has a similar system in place as proposed in this bill. There were 395 firearms that were sourced from Massachusetts. This is almost four times the number from New Hampshire and we don't have this same law. The same 2009 ATF document for New Hampshire reports that Massachusetts is the top out of state source for firearms used in crimes in New Hampshire. As you are aware, Massachusetts has a version of the law proposed in this bill and yet criminals still get access to firearms illegally in Massachusetts and then bring them up to New Hampshire to commit crimes.

There are numerous problems with this bill, including the so called "legislative findings" that do not use complete and correct data. According to a 2011 report from the Institute for Economics and Peace, New Hampshire is the 2nd safest state (Only Maine beat New Hampshire) to live in with the 3rd lowest violent crime rate (160.4 per 100,000) and the lowest murder rate (0.8 per 100,000 ). So if New Hampshire is the 2rd safest state and has some of the fewest firearms laws in the country, why has this new bill been proposed? It certainly cannot be to make New Hampshire safer, since the states that have this law, such as Massachusetts, rank lower at 7th safest overall with a violent crime rate that is 34th (462.6 per 100,000) and a murder rate that is 13th (2.6 per 100,000) nationwide.

Massachusetts and California laws do not work for New Hampshire. The sponsor of this bill HB1589, Elaine Andrew-Ahearns (Rockingham 37) did not write this bill. Instead it was written for her by a group of elitist anti-liberty lawyers from San Francisco, California: The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. New Hampshire does not let San Francisco dictate our laws for us. On that note, if representative Elaine Andrew-Ahearns is too lazy or inept to write their own bill, she should be voted out or otherwise removed from office and replaced with a New Hampshire citizen who WILL write their own bills.

HB 1589 should be voted inexpedient to legislate.