Senate made HB-307 a "USE-LESS" bill. What do I mean by that? By removing "USE" from the list of prohibitions, and given Sen. Carson's testimony, this is being done to ALLOW towns to control the USE of firearms. (Uses like backyard plinking, target shooting, shooting clays, or even hunting on BOTH public and PRIVATE land. Don't believe me, than start asking why they needed to remove a word that is already in RSA 159:26. (I heard a large gun group was supporting this amendment.)
This bill will likely go to the House floor in two weeks, we need everyone to call their reps and ask them to oppose and ask for a committee of conference to fix this bill or it will die.
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.
New version:
159:27 State Preemption. Except as expressly provided by the state constitution or statute, the general court hereby declares that it is occupying the whole field of regulation of firearms; ammunition; ammunition components; knives; firearms components; firearms accessories; and firearms supplies, including the purchase, sale, transfer, taxation, manufacture, repair, modification, ownership, possession, storage, and transportation thereof, to the exclusion of all existing and future county, city, town, or municipal ordinances or any administrative regulations or rules adopted by local or state government relating thereto or by any school district or school administrative unit. Any existing ordinances, rules, or regulations of any county, city, town, municipality, school district or school administrative unit are, upon the effective date of this section, hereby declared null and void.