Susan Bishevsky-Weeks

Honorable Committee Members, I am writing to express my strong opposition to HB 1084 and urge you to vote Inexpedient to Legislate (ITL). While I recognize the seriousness of domestic violence, this bill raises significant constitutional concerns that warrant your careful consideration: • Second Amendment Rights: This legislation creates prior restraint on constitutional rights without adequate due process protections for law-abiding citizens. • Due Process Concerns: The bill may allow for the removal of firearms based on allegations alone, without sufficient safeguards to protect the rights of the accused. For example: if my neighbor who I have a protection of trespass order for tearing my property cameras down, currently against, decides that he wishes to retaliate for that order...he could just make a call anonymously and my rights to protect myself would be immediately taken away. I don't even know why he tore down my cameras, protecting my property, to begin with in the first place. Now I am left with no protection against someone who could have some scheme of harm and you will have placed a disabled, older woman in harms way. When I was perfectly capable of protecting myself as I have been trained since I was a young child by professionals. Even if I wasn't trained by professionals, most people grew hunting and fishing, hiking. I would rather have protection and not need it than need it and not have it. Just like a fire extinguisher or fire blanket, I'd rather have it to put out a fire quickly at the source than wait for someone else to show up later and maybe get what's left. Yes, my Daddy was a fireman for over 40 years. Understand that a WANT and NEED are two DIFFERENT THINGS!!! • Effectiveness Questions: There is little evidence that such measures effectively reduce domestic violence while they clearly infringe on constitutional rights. • Dangerous Precedent: This bill sets a concerning precedent that could lead to further erosions of Second Amendment rights in New Hampshire. New Hampshire has a strong tradition of protecting both public safety and constitutional rights. I believe we can address domestic violence concerns through existing legal mechanisms without compromising the fundamental rights of our citizens. I respectfully urge you to vote ITL on HB 1084. Respectfully, Susan Bishevsky-Weeks Kensington, NH