A license to carry is no longer necessary to pack heat in New Hampshire. Republican Gov. Chris Sununu just signed legislation that abolished all licensing requirements for carrying a concealed firearm.
“It is common-sense legislation,” Sununu said during a signing ceremony. “This is about making sure that our laws on our books are keeping people safe while remaining true to the live-free-or-die spirit.”
Now anyone not barred by state or federal law can carry a hidden gun on their person inside the Granite State. It doesn’t matter if it’s a small .38-caliber snub nose revolver or a large .50-caliber cannon. If citizens can hide it on their person, the law allows them to carry it concealed. It’s the Second Amendment a la carte.
Already pro-gun advocates are praising the law, dubbing it Constitutional Carry. “It’s encouraging to see a governor stand up for the rights of his constituents, instead of caving to the demands of an anti-gun billionaire from New York City,” the National Rifle Association said in a statement.
Still, New Hampshire wasn’t exactly a police state before Wednesday. The state already had open carry laws on the books, allowing citizens to freely holster weapons on their hips. And licensing requirements for concealing a gun were relatively lax. For more than a century, citizens needed only to apply for a license with their local police chief.
No statewide data exist about the number of New Hampshire residents with concealed carry license but the state ranks well below the national average in gun crime. After Sununu’s signature, New Hampshire became the 12th state to do away with licensing requirements.
That trend will likely continue. With Republicans in the majority of governors’ mansions, the next four years will likely be open season on gun regulation. After four years, there will be an opportunity to compare the effect of lax gun laws in red states with the stringent regulation in blue states.
Philip Wegmann is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
