David Preece

House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee New Hampshire House of Representatives State House Concord, NH 03301 Re: HB 1642 (Extreme Risk Protection Orders) Dear Chair and Members of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, I am writing to urge you to support HB 1642 in the interest of public safety, responsible governance, and the well-being of New Hampshire families and students. HB 1642 would give our state a proven, narrowly tailored tool to prevent violence before it occurs. Extreme Risk Protection Orders allow a court — based on evidence and with due process — to temporarily restrict access to firearms when a person is in acute crisis and poses a danger to themselves or others. This is not about punishing lawful gun ownership; it is about intervening in moments when lives are at risk. In New Hampshire, most gun deaths are suicides. Families, law enforcement, and health professionals too often see warning signs but lack a legal mechanism to act until it is too late. HB 1642 provides that a missing tool — one that has already helped save lives in many other states. Last year’s horrific murder-suicide in Madbury, which claimed the lives of two young children and their parents, reminds us that violence most often happens not in public places, but in moments of personal crisis inside our own homes. Laws like HB 1642 are designed precisely to interrupt those moments and give people a chance to survive and recover. The choice before you is clear: HB 1642 reduces risk by allowing timely, lawful intervention when danger is evident. I respectfully ask you to vote YES on HB 1642. Thank you for your service and for considering the safety of our communities. Sincerely, David John Preece Manchester, New Hampshire