Uncategorized

NH House passes red-flag gun bill, expands medical marijuana

By Holly Ramer
Associated Press
CONCORD, N.H. — The New Hampshire House passed a bill Wednesday to allow police or relatives to petition a court to temporarily remove guns from people who present a danger to themselves or others.

The 201-176 vote on the opening day of the new legislative session moved New Hampshire a step closer to joining 17 other states and Washington, D.C., in passing so-called “red flag” laws.

“I believe we can all agree that firearms in the hands of dangerous people are a threat to public safety. It’s time now to address that threat and put an extreme risk protection order in place here at home,” said Rep. Nancy Murphy, D-Merrimack. “Let’s show the people of New Hampshire we are serious about public safety.”

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Debra Altschiller, D-Stratham, read a letter from Dr. Margaret Tilton, of Exeter, who spoke at a public hearing last March about the death of her 23-year-old son, George.

After struggling with depression for years, she said, he bought a handgun in 2016. That time, police were able to persuade him to surrender the gun, but he bought another one in 2017 and three weeks later killed himself, she said.

“I told his story, our family’s story, here in this chamber. And afterwards, I felt I had betrayed my son’s privacy for nothing. George would have never wanted me to share his struggles publicly, but I felt I had an obligation to other families,” Tilton wrote. “Please, have the courage to vote yes for this legislation. You will give some nameless, faceless parent who will probably never thank you the ability to keep their child safe, maybe long enough for their loved one to regain a sense of hope and to choose life.”

Supporters said the measure is needed in a state where the suicide rate is rising faster than elsewhere and would be used only in cases of extreme risk.

Opponents argued the bill violates not only the right to own firearms, but also other constitutional guarantees, such as the right to due legal process, to confront an accuser, and against unreasonable searches and seizures of property.

Rep. Kimberly Rice, R-Hudson, called it an “unconstitutional, gun-grabbing bill” that would “turn due process rights upside down.” Rep. Daryl Abbas, R-Salem, said he also opposed the bill because it would disarm someone without doing anything to address the reason they were a danger to themselves or others.

“The firearm itself is not the motivation behind why this person wants to harm themselves or others this bill ignores that crisis,” he said.

While other states have passed red-flag laws, Republicans in Oklahoma and Kansas, meanwhile, are proposing measures aimed at blocking them.

Proposals in those states would declare that any gun-removal order from another state or a federal court are null and void, and no state or local agency could accept federal grants that require such orders to be enforced. The proposals also would prevent local city and county governments from enacting such laws and make it a felony for someone to help enforce such an order.

The New Hampshire bill now goes to the Senate. It was among hundreds of bills leftover from last year that lawmakers must act on before moving on to nearly 1,000 new bills filed this session.

But, this was not the only legislation to pass the New Hampshire House.

House passes bills to expand medical marijuana

The New Hampshire House approved a pair of bills Wednesday to make medical marijuana available to more patients, but a more expansive bill died in the Senate.

The House voted to add insomnia and opioid use disorder to the list of qualifying conditions, though the latter would carry significant restrictions, including a requirement that certifying providers have specialized knowledge in addiction treatment.

An earlier version of one of the bills also sought to add anxiety and Lyme disease to the list, but those provisions were removed.

Meanwhile, the Senate voted Wednesday against making medical marijuana available for any condition for which treatment is determined to be necessary by a provider. The Senate also voted to further study a bill to legalize recreational marijuana, and there are several new bills on that topic coming up later this session.

House advances criminal annulment bill

An effort to make it easier for people to get some criminal convictions annulled is back on track at the New Hampshire Statehouse.

The Senate passed a bill in March that would eliminate annulment fees, expand eligibility and reduce the waiting period to apply in certain cases.

But the House held onto it after opponents said it jeopardized public safety and victims’ rights by allowing domestic abusers to get annulments before paying restitution.

The House on Wednesday passed an updated version that wouldn’t let that happen. It would allow someone who was under age 25 when convicted of a simple-possession drug-related crime to petition for annulment, and eliminates fees for those whose cases were dismissed.

Avatar photo

As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.