Title XII, Public Safety and Welfare

Whoever willfully, intentionally and without right, by the explosion of gunpowder or of any other explosive, unlawfully damages or destroys property or injures a person, shall be subject to the following penalty: I. If the offense occurs prior to November 1, 1973, he shall be fin…

Whoever, other than a police or other law enforcement officer acting in the discharge of his official duties, or fire or military personnel while in performance of their duties, has in his possession or under his control an infernal machine or a similar instrument, contrivance, o…

Whoever willfully and intentionally throws at or near any person and whoever willfully, intentionally and without right throws into, against or upon, any property real or personal, or puts, places or explodes or causes to be exploded in, upon or near such property, or near any pe…

Whoever makes, sells, uses or has in his possession or under his control a bottle or other breakable container containing a flammable liquid into which has been fixed or placed a wick or similar device, and which bottle or container when ignited and thrown will cause a fire or ex…

Any person who knowingly communicates a report known by him to be false regarding the location of an explosive or other similar dangerous substance or contrivance, thereby causing anxiety, unrest, fear, or personal discomfort to any person, shall be guilty of a class B felony.

Any person who places or causes the placement of any device simulating an explosive or other similar dangerous substance or contrivance in any location, thereby causing anxiety, unrest, fear, or personal discomfort to any person, shall be guilty of a class A felony.

I. Nothing contained in this subdivision shall apply to the regular military or naval forces or coast guard of the United States, or any federal agency, or the duly authorized militia of this state, nor to the police or fire departments of this state, provided they are acting wit…

In any complaint, information, or indictment, and in any action or proceeding brought for the enforcement of any provision of this chapter, it shall not be necessary to negate any exception, excuse, proviso, or exemption contained herein, and the burden of proof of any such excep…

No person shall leave, deposit or have in his custody or possession in any building used in whole or in part as a dwelling house, tenement house, apartment building, office building, shop or store, or in or within 500 feet of any building used in whole or in part as a school, the…

I. No person shall purchase, store, or transport or attempt to purchase, store or transport any high explosive without first obtaining a license therefor as provided in RSA 158:9-b. II. No person shall sell any high explosive to another unless the purchaser exhibits a license to …

I. Upon application of any resident or non-resident, the commissioner of safety, or some person designated by the commissioner, shall issue a license to such applicant authorizing the applicant to use, purchase and transport explosives in this state for not more than 2 years from…

I. The fee for licenses issued under RSA 158:9-b, I shall be $100. II. The fee for licenses for explosives storage facilities as defined by federal regulation in 27 C.F.R. section 181 shall be as follows: (a) For a type I storage facility, a fee of $50; (b) For a type II outdoor …

The commissioner of safety is hereby authorized and directed to prepare forms for the licenses required by RSA 158:9-a.

I. Any person convicted of violating the provisions of RSA 158:9-a, I and II shall be guilty of a misdemeanor for first and second offense and of a felony for any subsequent offense. II. Any person convicted of violating the provisions of RSA 158:9-a, III or regulations promulgat…

I. The commissioner of safety may adopt rules pursuant to RSA 541-A relative to: (a) The sale, storage, handling, transportation, inspection, administration, and use of explosives, including provisions relative to the purchase of insurance by commercial entities. (b) The procedur…

Except as provided in this section, all records and papers pertaining to licenses issued pursuant to RSA 158:9-b and any hearing conducted pursuant to RSA 158:9-e, IV, shall be open to the inspection of any person. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the commissioner o…

I. No person shall use explosives unless at least one natural person with a current and valid certificate of competency is physically present to conduct the blasting operation. A certificate of competency shall not constitute a license under RSA 158:9-b but shall be in addition t…

Notwithstanding the provisions of RSA 644:2, III(a) or any other law to the contrary, no person who owns, operates, or uses a shooting range in this state shall be subject to civil liability or criminal prosecution in any matter relating to noise or noise pollution, provided that…

In this chapter: I. "Electronic payment transaction" means a transaction in which a person uses a payment card or other payment code, or device issued or approved through a payment card network to debit a deposit account or use a line of credit, whether authorization is based on …

Pistol or revolver, as used herein, means any firearm with barrel less than 16 inches in length. It does not include antique pistols, gun canes, or revolvers. An antique pistol, gun cane, or revolver, for the purposes of this chapter, means any pistol, gun cane, or revolver utili…

Pursuant to the general court's authority under Part II, Article 5 of the New Hampshire Constitution, the state of New Hampshire, a political subdivision of this state, or any person acting under the color of state, county, or municipal law shall be prohibited from using any pers…

The department of safety may become the point of contact for the federal government for the purposes of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).

Any person who, in purchasing or otherwise securing delivery of a pistol, revolver, or other firearm, gives false information or offers false evidence of his identity, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor for the first offense, and be guilty of a class B felony for any subsequent off…

I. Any person who shall sell, barter, hire, lend or give to any minor any pistol or revolver shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. II. This section shall not apply to: (a) Fathers, mothers, grandparents, guardians, administrators or executors who give a pistol or revolver to their ch…

No person shall change, alter, remove or obliterate the name of the maker, model, manufacturer's number or other mark of identification on any pistol or revolver. Possession of any such firearms upon which the same shall have been changed, altered, removed or obliterated shall be…

None of the provisions of this chapter shall prohibit an individual not licensed under the provisions thereof who is not engaged in the business of selling pistols or revolvers from selling a pistol or revolver to a person licensed under this chapter or to a person personally kno…

I. A person shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor if that person uses or employs slung shot, metallic knuckles, billies, or other deadly weapon as defined in RSA 625:11, V during the commission or attempted commission of a violent crime. II. "Violent crime," for purposes of th…

Whoever, except as provided by the laws of this state, sells, has in his possession with intent to sell, or carries on his person any blackjack, slung shot, or metallic knuckles shall be guilty of a misdemeanor; and such weapon or articles so carried by him shall be confiscated t…

The provisions of the preceding section shall not apply to officers of the law, to persons holding hunting or fishing licenses when lawfully engaged in hunting or fishing, to employees of express companies while on duty, to watchmen while on duty, to emergency medical technicians…

I. A person is guilty of a class B felony if he uses or attempts to use any teflon-coated or armor-piercing bullet or cartridge, or any bullet or cartridge which contains any explosive substance in the projectile and is designed to explode upon impact, in the course of committing…

I. No person shall knowingly carry a loaded or unloaded pistol, revolver, or firearm or any other deadly weapon as defined in RSA 625:11, V, whether open or concealed or whether licensed or unlicensed, upon the person or within any of the person's possessions owned or within the …

I. Any person who uses a pistol cane or sword cane on another person with intent to commit a crime punishable as a misdemeanor shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. II. Any person who uses a pistol cane or sword cane on another person with intent to commit a crime punishable as a fel…

In light of the long-standing practice of cooperation between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, nothing in this chapter shall prevent a state, county, or local official from cooperating with or rendering aid or assistance to federal officials in any circumstance…

I. If the department of safety conducts criminal background checks under RSA 159-D:1, any records containing information pertaining to a potential buyer or transferee who is not found to be prohibited from receipt or transfer of a firearm by reason of state or federal law, which …

The owners, operators, or users of shooting ranges shall not be subject to any action for nuisance and no court shall enjoin the use or operation of a range on the basis of noise or noise pollution, provided that the owners of the range are in compliance with any noise control or…

I. A payment card acquirer may not assign to a merchant and a payment card network may not require or permit a merchant to use a firearms code. II. For the purposes of the sale of firearms, ammunition for use in firearms, and firearms accessories, a firearms retailer may not prov…

In this subdivision: I. "Electronic defense weapon" means an electronically activated non-lethal device which is designed for or capable of producing an electrical charge of sufficient magnitude to immobilize or incapacitate a person temporarily. II. "Aerosol self-defense spray w…

Any person who has been convicted of a felony in this or any other state who possesses an electronic defense weapon away from the premises where he resides shall be guilty of a class B felony. Neither the whole nor any part of a sentence of imprisonment imposed for a violation of…

Any person who knowingly sells an electronic defense weapon to a person under 18 years of age shall be guilty of a violation.

I. Any person who uses an electronic defense or aerosol self-defense spray weapon on a law enforcement officer or another person with intent to commit a crime punishable as a misdemeanor shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. II. Any person who uses an electronic defense or aerosol se…

I. "Martial arts weapon" means any kind of sword, knife, spear, throwing star, throwing dart, or nunchaku or any other object designed for use in the martial arts which is capable of being used as a lethal or dangerous weapon. II. Any person who shall sell, deliver, or otherwise …

No state agency shall operate a firearms "voluntary surrender and destroy" program. Firearms which are voluntarily surrendered to a state agency shall be sold at public auction or kept by the state agency for its own use. Proceeds from firearms sold at public auction by the state…

I. To the extent consistent with federal law, the state of New Hampshire shall have authority and jurisdiction over the sale, purchase, ownership, use, possession, transportation, licensing, permitting, taxation, or other matter pertaining to firearms, firearms components, ammuni…

I. Any public or private employer that receives public funds from the federal or state government or any subdivision thereof, whether such funds are in the form of payment for contractual services, grants, or in any other form however denominated, and irrespective of the amount o…

Subsequent physical expansion of the shooting range or change in the types of firearms in use at the range shall not establish a new date of commencement of operations for the portion or portions in existence prior to the expansion for the purposes of this chapter.

A person who completes and signs an application for purchase of a firearm and who knows that such purchase is illegal because he or she is subject to a protective order shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor for a first offense and a class B felony for a second or subsequent of…