Sarah Gentile

House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee Members: My name is Sarah Gentile, I am a resident of Rochester, New Hampshire and I am reaching out to express my opposition to HB 1697. New Hampshire already has some of the weakest firearm safety laws in the country. We lack universal background checks, no required waiting periods, and we have extremely limited licensing requirements. Because of this, New Hampshire relies heavily on federal firearm laws to provide basic guardrails that protect public safety. HB 1697 would deliberately undermine those guardrails by exempting certain firearms and firearm accessories manufactured and retained in NH from federal regulation. Not only would this make NH less safe, but it would make the rest of the country, especially surrounding states, less safe. This bill is not new or innovative. In fact, it uses language that is almost identical to the Firearm Freedom Acts that began circulating a decade ago. Those efforts are part of a coordinated, state by state campaign to assert that firearms made, sold, and kept within a state are somehow exempt from federal laws. Courts have repeatedly rejected this theory because firearms do not stay within state borders. New Hampshire’s minimal firearm regulations means that federal law is really the only meaningful line of defense in preventing dangerous individuals from obtaining or misusing weapons. Exempting any class of firearms or accessories from federal oversight would create loopholes that could be exploited not just in our state, but nationwide. Guns do not stop being dangerous because of where they are manufactured. This bill also fits into a broader effort to weaken federal gun laws and override state authority. Proposals like this are close in line with efforts to impose a federal concealed carry mandate that would force every state to accept the weakest gun laws in the country. This would undermine state laws governing who may carry hidden, loaded handguns in public and eliminate a state’s ability to protect its own residents. New Hampshire already repealed its concealed carry permit requirement in 2017. Today, anyone, including non-residents, may carry a concealed firearm without a license, so long as they are not prohibited under state or federal law. That is New Hampshire’s policy choice and other states have made different choices; they should have the right to enforce their own standards and laws. Today, we are seeing the consequences of ignoring those boundaries. NH Attorney General John Formella has sued Massachusetts, arguing that NH residents should be allowed to carry their firearms through Massachusetts without complying with MA laws. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled correctly that its state laws apply to everyone within its borders, including NH residents. That case has now been moved to the Supreme Court with other states joining in. HB 1697 only pushes us further down a dangerous path. It erodes respect for state sovereignty while simultaneously weakening federal protection. This bill does nothing to protect our freedom or enhance safety – it undermines it by protecting dangerous loopholes. For the sake of public safety, legal clarity, and responsible governance I urge you to vote in opposition of HB 1697. Thank you for your time. Sarah Gentile Rochester, NH