Repealing the license to sell pistols and revolvers and limiting liability for certain design features of firearms.
Summary
HB 551 repeals New Hampshire’s local licensing requirement for the retail sale of pistols and revolvers. Under current law, selectmen and police chiefs may issue licenses to sell pistols and revolvers; this bill removes that licensing framework and instead leaves in place rules requiring sellers to verify a purchaser’s identity and prohibiting sales to felons. It also revises related provisions governing sales to nonresidents and penalties for unlawful sales, including repealing the separate penalty for selling without the now-eliminated license.
The bill also creates a new limitation on civil liability for firearm manufacturers and federal firearms licensees in product-liability cases. It bars claims based solely on the presence or absence of certain firearm design features, including magazine disconnect mechanisms, loaded chamber indicators, authorized-user recognition technology, and external manual safeties. The bill preserves liability for actual manufacturing defects and for failures to perform as expressly warranted, and it applies only to actions filed on or after the effective date.
Impact
HB 551 amends RSA 159:6-g, RSA 159:8, RSA 159:8-a, RSA 159:8-b, and repeals RSA 159:10, thereby eliminating the municipal license-to-sell system for pistols and revolvers and removing associated penalties. It also adds RSA 507-D:6 to limit certain product-liability claims against firearm manufacturers and federal firearms licensees. The fiscal note says the bill is expected to have no state revenue impact, but municipalities that currently collect licensing fees could lose that revenue; any judicial or correctional costs from changed penalties are described as indeterminable.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have received mixed but ultimately favorable legislative support, with recorded votes showing passage of a floor amendment and an ought-to-pass-with-amendment recommendation by 16-8, and later concurrence in the House by 200-161. That pattern suggests the measure had enough support to advance, but not broad consensus. The available record does not include committee testimony, so the public debate is reflected mainly in the close votes rather than in detailed discussion.
Contention
The main points of contention are likely the bill’s firearms-policy changes: supporters would favor removing local sales licensing and limiting litigation over firearm design features, while opponents would view those changes as weakening gun regulation and narrowing avenues for civil accountability. The liability section is especially notable because it precludes claims tied to safety features such as loaded chamber indicators and external safeties, which may concern gun-safety advocates. The repeal of local licensing authority may also be controversial for municipalities that previously used the process and collected fees.