NH & Shooting on Private Property

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Beginning to look at NH property and was curious what the guidelines (if any) about shooting on private property. Like MA, I would imagine there are town/county specific laws & regulations about property size requirements (distances from roads, structures, etc.) for shooting on private property (and limits as to caliber type)?
 
No shooting within the "compact" part of a city or town. Basically if there is high population density (a certain number of homes really close together) no shooting near them. Otherwise you need only be no less than 300 feet from the nearest domicile or have permission (get it in writing) from the property owner. There is also a rule on shooting next to a road. I do not recall the footage requirement. It is likely something like 20ft or something. Oh and no shooting across a road, but that is also common sense.
 
You should also be aware that upon hearing gunfire you have 48 hours to respond with your own.

This rule applies to fireworks as well but with only a 24 hour window.

Please be prepared in these areas if you are serious about moving up here.
 
And there are not town specific rules about firearms. State laws prevent towns from creating them.

If you are in compliance with state law you're good.
 
Mu cousin owns a house in tuftonboro......glad it is his house and not mine because I would be flat broke from shooting too much! He can shoots in his backyard all the time.......nothing but hundreds of acres of wetland behind him. I was up there shooting with him a couple of months ago for the first time.......just emptied a clip from my garand......cleared it.....turned around and there was a cop standing 10 feet behind me! I was getting ready to put the rifle down and put my hands out so he could cuff me......and he smiles and says "heard the noise and sounded like someone was having fun so thought I would check out what ya got"! Have to say I wish MA were that easy!
 
You should also be aware that upon hearing gunfire you have 48 hours to respond with your own.

This rule applies to fireworks as well but with only a 24 hour window.

Please be prepared in these areas if you are serious about moving up here.

Seconded. [laugh]
 
Mu cousin owns a house in tuftonboro......glad it is his house and not mine because I would be flat broke from shooting too much! He can shoots in his backyard all the time.......nothing but hundreds of acres of wetland behind him. I was up there shooting with him a couple of months ago for the first time.......just emptied a clip from my garand......cleared it.....turned around and there was a cop standing 10 feet behind me! I was getting ready to put the rifle down and put my hands out so he could cuff me......and he smiles and says "heard the noise and sounded like someone was having fun so thought I would check out what ya got"! Have to say I wish MA were that easy!


AWESOME!
 
State preemption (no local ordinances):

159:26 Firearms, Ammunition, and Knives; Authority of the State. –
I. To the extent consistent with federal law, the state of New Hampshire shall have authority and jurisdiction over the sale, purchase, ownership, use, possession, transportation, licensing, permitting, taxation, or other matter pertaining to firearms, firearms components, ammunition, firearms supplies, or knives in the state. Except as otherwise specifically provided by statute, no ordinance or regulation of a political subdivision may regulate the sale, purchase, ownership, use, possession, transportation, licensing, permitting, taxation, or other matter pertaining to firearms, firearms components, ammunition, or firearms supplies in the state. Nothing in this section shall be construed as affecting a political subdivision's right to adopt zoning ordinances for the purpose of regulating firearms or knives businesses in the same manner as other businesses or to take any action allowed under RSA 207:59.
II. Upon the effective date of this section, all municipal ordinances and regulations not authorized under paragraph I relative to the sale, purchase, ownership, use, possession, transportation, licensing, permitting, taxation, or other matter pertaining to firearms, firearm components, ammunition, firearms supplies, or knives shall be null and void.



Roadways:

207:3-c Use of Firearms, Bow, or Crossbow in or Across Highway Prohibited. –
I. No person shall discharge a firearm, bow and arrow, or crossbow and bolt from within 15 feet of the traveled portion of or across any class I through V highway of the state. This section shall not apply to those persons holding a special permit pursuant to RSA 207:7-a.
II. No person shall discharge a firearm, bow and arrow, or crossbow and bolt from or across the following public highways of the state including the rights of way thereof:
(a) Route 93 from the New Hampshire/Massachusetts state line in the town of Salem to the New Hampshire/Vermont state line in the town of Littleton;
(b) Route 89 from the intersection with Route 93 in the town of Bow to the New Hampshire/Vermont state line in the town of Lebanon;
(c) Route 95 from the New Hampshire/Massachusetts state line in the town of Seabrook to the New Hampshire/Maine state line in the town of Portsmouth;
(d) Route 293 from the intersection with Route 93 in the city of Manchester to the intersection with Route 93 in the town of Hooksett;
(e) Route 393 from the intersection with North Main Street in the city of Concord to the Concord/Chichester town line;
(f) Route 202/9 from the intersection with Route 114 in the town of Henniker to the junction with Route 31 in the town of Hillsborough;
(g) Route 16, commonly known as the Spaulding Turnpike, from the intersection with Route 95 in the town of Portsmouth to the Milton/Middletown town line;
(h) Route 3, commonly known as the F.E. Everett Turnpike, from the New Hampshire/Massachusetts state line in the city of Nashua to the intersection with Route 101 in the town of Bedford;
(i) Route 101 from the intersection with Route 114 in the town of Bedford to the intersection with Route 1 in the town of Hampton.
III. Any person convicted of discharging a firearm, bow and arrow, or crossbow and bolt prohibited under the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a violation.


Distance to dwellings:

207:3-a Prohibition. – It is unlawful for a person to discharge a firearm or to shoot with a bow and arrow or crossbow and bolt within 300 feet of a permanently occupied dwelling without permission of the owner or the occupant of the dwelling or from the owner of the land on which the person discharging the firearm or shooting the bow and arrow or crossbow and bolt is situated. Whoever violates the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a violation if a natural person, or guilty of a misdemeanor if any other person.



Compact portion of a town:

644:13 Unauthorized Use of Firearms and Firecrackers. –
I. A person is guilty of a violation if, within the compact part of a town or city, such person fires or discharges any cannon, gun, pistol, or other firearm, except by written permission of the chief of police or governing body.
II. For the purposes of this section, "compact part'' means the territory within a town or city comprised of the following:
(a) Any nonresidential, commercial building, including, but not limited to, industrial, educational, or medical buildings, plus a perimeter 300 feet wide around all such buildings without permission of the owner.
(b) Any park, playground, or other outdoor public gathering place designated by the legislative body of the city or town.
(c) Any contiguous area containing 6 or more buildings which are used as either part-time or permanent dwellings and the spaces between them where each such building is within 300 feet of at least one of the others, plus a perimeter 300 feet wide around all the buildings in such area.


Also: http://pgnh.org/gunlawfaqs
 
I shoot in my yard occasionally. I'm not out in the middle of nowhere. We have just over three acres. When we shoot, we are shooting downwards into my woods which goes uphill so my woods/land is my backstop( I only have about a 50yd or so max range(fine for handgun), unless I want to clear some trees but I'll just join a club if I want to shoot 100+yds. Over the years we have shot everything from .22 to 12ga to .460 mag., and most recently function testing my AR. My neighbors shoot as well. Basically as long as you're not doing anything dumb and you have decent neighbors and are respectful regarding shooting times/duration I don't think you'll have problems. I have had the police called a couple of times over the last 10 years or so, but no issues from it. I believe at least one of those times they were called by neighbors recently transplanted from the PRM who didn't know how things worked out here.

Sean
 
For anybody who may want to move to NH because of this, keep in mind that there are even less restrictions in VT. No worries about distances to other dwellings. The only reason I don't shoot in my yard is because my neighbor's dog is always around.
 
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