Gun laws in New Hampshire

For people considering a move who already own guns. A map of official statutes — not a rant, not legal advice, and not official Free State Project. Read the links. Laws change.

Constitution

• N.H. Const. Part I, Art. 2-a: “All persons have the right to keep and bear arms in defense of themselves, their families, their property and the state.”

Carry vs license

• NH State Police FAQ: effective February 22, 2017, RSA 159:6 no longer requires a resident or nonresident license to carry a pistol or revolver concealed. A license is now voluntary.
• RSA 159:6 III: the availability of a license “shall not be construed to impose a prohibition on the unlicensed transport or carry of a firearm in a vehicle, or on or about one’s person, whether openly or concealed, loaded or unloaded, by a resident, nonresident, or alien” if that person is not otherwise prohibited by statute from possessing a firearm in New Hampshire.
• If a license is issued (RSA 159:6 I): not less than 5 years from the date of issue; $10 resident / $100 nonresident; issued within 14 days; hunting, target shooting, or self-defense is a proper purpose.
• The optional license can matter for reciprocity in other states (NHSP FAQ). New Hampshire itself does not require it for a legal possessor.

Purchase / possession

• RSA 159:3: a person is guilty of a class B felony if he owns or has in his possession or under his control a pistol, revolver, or other firearm (or listed deadly weapons) and has been convicted in any court of (1) a felony against the person or property of another, (2) a felony under RSA 318-B, or (3) a felony under the laws of any other state or of the United States relating to controlled drugs as defined in RSA 318-B. Completing and signing a firearm purchase application as such a felon is also a class B felony (I-a).
• RSA 159:3-a (armed career criminals): no ownership or possession of any firearm after any combination of 3 or more felonies in this state or any other state under homicide, assault, sexual assault, arson, burglary, robbery, extortion, child sexual abuse images, or controlled drug laws. Felony; mandatory minimum 10 years.
• RSA 159:7: no sale, delivery, or transfer of a pistol, revolver, or any other firearm to a person convicted of a felony in any jurisdiction (class B felony).
• Dealer sales still follow federal FFL / NICS rules. This page does not say “no background checks.”
• No NH statute found in RSA 159 for a state waiting period. No NH statute found that creates a state firearm registry. Federal dealer rules still apply.
• RSA 159:12: selling, bartering, hiring, lending, or giving a pistol or revolver to any minor is a misdemeanor, with listed exceptions (parents, grandparents, guardians; supervised training with parent/guardian permission; licensed hunters accompanying a minor taking wildlife; lawful shooting events). The statute says “minor.” It does not set 18 vs 21 in this section.

Transport / vehicles

• RSA 159:6 III already covers a vehicle: unlicensed transport or carry, loaded or unloaded, if the person is not otherwise prohibited. No RSA 159 “must be unloaded in the trunk” rule was found.
• That is everyday carry. Hunting has a separate loaded-long-gun rule — next section. Do not mash them together.
• RSA 159:27 (eff. Jan 1, 2025): an employer that receives public funds may not prohibit an employee who may legally possess a firearm from storing a firearm or ammunition in a locked vehicle on the employer’s property if it is not visible, and may not require the employee to disclose that. It does not authorize carrying where carrying is already prohibited by law.

Hunting vs self-defense

• Self-defense is RSA 627 (below). Hunting is Fish & Game / RSA 207. Do not treat hunting-season rules as everyday carry.
• RSA 207:7: no cocked crossbow, and no loaded rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader, or air rifle, in or on a moving motor vehicle, OHRV, snowmobile, or aircraft (livestock/crop exception). That does not ban a loaded pistol or revolver in a vehicle under RSA 159:6 III.
• Season dates and hunting hours are Fish & Game, not RSA 159. See NH Fish and Game. No hunting-hours rule is quoted here as everyday carry.

Discharge

• RSA 207:3-a: it is unlawful to discharge a firearm (or a .22 caliber or larger air rifle used for hunting, or to shoot a bow or crossbow) within 300 feet of a permanently occupied dwelling without permission of the owner or occupant of the dwelling, or of the owner of the land the shooter is on.
• RSA 644:13: within the compact part of a town or city, firing a cannon, gun, pistol, air rifle, or other firearm is a violation except by written permission of the chief of police or governing body. “Compact part” includes any nonresidential commercial building plus a 300-foot perimeter (without the owner’s permission); designated parks, playgrounds, or outdoor public gathering places; and any contiguous area of 6 or more dwellings each within 300 feet of another, plus a 300-foot perimeter.
• RSA 207:3-c: no discharge of a firearm, bow, air rifle, or crossbow from within 15 feet of the traveled portion of, or across, any class I through V highway. No discharge from or across listed limited-access highways (including I-93, I-89, I-95, and others named in the statute) or their rights of way.

Magazines / features

• RSA 159 was searched on the official General Court text. No NH statute found that bans magazines by capacity or bans rifles by feature. Federal law still applies.

NFA / suppressors / SBRs

• NH RSA 159 does not list a state ban on suppressors/SBRs; federal NFA / ATF still applies (registration, prohibited persons). This page does not quote a tax-stamp dollar figure as New Hampshire law.

Castle / stand-your-ground

• This is not unlimited. RSA 627:4 is built on what the actor reasonably believes, and on not being the initial aggressor.
• Deadly force (627:4 II) when the actor reasonably believes the other person: is about to use unlawful deadly force; is likely to use any unlawful force against a person present while committing or attempting burglary; is committing or about to commit kidnapping or a forcible sex offense; or is likely to use any unlawful force in the commission of a felony against the actor within the actor’s dwelling or its curtilage.
• II-a: displaying a firearm (or other means of self-defense) to warn away a threat that a reasonable person would consider likely to cause serious bodily injury or death is not a criminal act.
• III(a): not required to retreat if within the dwelling, its curtilage, or anywhere he or she has a right to be, and was not the initial aggressor.
• RSA 627:7 (defense of premises): non-deadly force to prevent or terminate a criminal trespass; deadly force only as prescribed in RSA 627:4, or when reasonably believed necessary to prevent an attempt by the trespasser to commit arson.

Duty to inform

• No RSA 159 statute was found that requires you to volunteer that you are armed (none in 159:6). Still obey a lawful order. This page does not invent a traffic-stop script.

Prohibited places

• RSA 159:19 courthouse: no loaded or unloaded pistol, revolver, or firearm (open or concealed, licensed or unlicensed) in a courtroom or area used by a court. Class B felony. Firearms may be secured at the entrance by courthouse security. Lack of notice posted in a conspicuous place at each public entrance is an affirmative defense.
• Schools: RSA 193:13 IV is pupils — 12-month expulsion for bringing or possessing a firearm in a safe school zone (RSA 193-D) without written authorization from the superintendent or designee. No NH adult-carry-on-campus ban found in that section.
• Federal Gun-Free School Zones Act (18 U.S.C. § 922(q)) still applies. The usual federal license carve-out is a state-issued carry license — New Hampshire’s optional pistol/revolver license. Permitless carriers should not assume they can carry in a school zone. This page does not say NH RSA bans adult school carry, and it does not say adult carry on campus is freely legal.
• Federal buildings and airport sterile areas are federal rules, not RSA 159.

Storage

• RSA 650-C:1 is not a general lock-it-up mandate.
• A violation (fine not more than $1,000) if a person stores or leaves a loaded firearm on premises under that person’s control, knows or reasonably should know a child under 16 is likely to gain access without a parent or guardian’s permission, and the child does gain access and (a) uses it in a reckless or threatening manner, (b) uses it in a misdemeanor or felony, or (c) negligently or recklessly discharges it.
• Listed exceptions include a locked box, gun safe, or trigger lock (or a place a reasonable person would believe secure); carried on the person or in close proximity; the child completed certified safety instruction or a certified hunter safety course; no reasonable expectation a child is likely to be present; illegal taking; lawful self-defense by the child.
• Secure storage is still a good idea. Federal rules for FFLs are separate.

Preemption

• RSA 159:26: to the extent consistent with federal law, the state has authority over sale, purchase, ownership, use, possession, transportation, licensing, registration, transfer, taxation, or other matters pertaining to firearms, components, ammunition, supplies, or knives.
• Except as specifically provided by statute, no town or city ordinance may regulate those subjects. Zoning of firearms or knives businesses in the same manner as other businesses, and action allowed under RSA 207:59 (hunting), are excepted.
• Unauthorized local rules are null and void.

Reciprocity

• NHSP: an optional New Hampshire license may be needed to carry in other states under a reciprocity agreement. New Hampshire itself does not require a license for legal possessors (RSA 159:6 III).
• This page does not list reciprocal states. That list changes. Check the other state’s official page, not a forum post.

What is not allowed

• Prohibited persons under RSA 159:3 and 159:3-a.
• Sale or transfer to a felon (RSA 159:7). Sale of a pistol or revolver to a minor (RSA 159:12).
• Courthouse / courtroom carry (RSA 159:19).
• Federal prohibited persons. Federal NFA items if unregistered.
• Student firearms in a safe school zone (RSA 193:13 IV / 193-D). Federal school-zone rules (18 U.S.C. § 922(q)). Federal buildings and airport sterile areas.

Official links

Read these, not a gun blog. Not legal advice. Not official Free State Project.

Not legal advice. Not official Free State Project.