As previously reported, Governor Sununu prevented the erosion of our Right to Keep and Bear Arms by vetoing firearm seizure legislation, House Bill 687. On Wednesday, September 16, your legislators are convening for a veto session to consider the Governor’s veto, and they need to hear from you! It is important that you contact your state legislators and ask them to SUSTAIN the veto on HB 687.
House Bill 687, sponsored by Representative Debra Altschiller (D-Rockingham 19), allows ex parte orders to suspend Second Amendment rights without adequate due process. Further, if the order is vacated after an individual surrenders their firearms, that individual will have to go to court to have their property returned, unlike when the court wrongfully takes their property away. Knowingly filing a false claim is only a misdemeanor, while violating an order is a Class B felony, punishable by three and a half to seven years of imprisonment. This extreme difference in punishments could lead to false accusations against many law-abiding individuals.
Constitutional rights should only be restricted with sufficient due process of law. Due process limits restrictions on constitutional rights to only serious convictions and adjudications that provide procedural protections to the accused, which results in more reliable proceedings. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms should not be treated as a second-class right and should only be restricted when sufficient protections are in place.
Please click the “Take Action” button above to contact your state legislators and urge them to SUSTAIN Governor Sununu’s veto of firearm seizure legislation, House Bill 687.