New Hampshire Senate Bill 469 has been scheduled for a committee hearing on Thursday, Jan. 23, at 10 a.m. in the New Hampshire Senate Judiciary Committee Room, Room 100. While current law allows localities to regulate noise, it also includes protection for shooting ranges that were already in existence. SB 469 does not include language that grandfathers in existing ranges and would subject existing and new shooting range operators to fines if a shooting range does not adhere to all local noise ordinances.
Take Action Today! New Hampshire sportsmen should call their state senators and ask them to OPPOSE Senate Bill 469. New Hampshire members can contact their senators by using the Sportsmen’s Alliance Legislative Action Directory.
The language in SB 469 enables new homeowners, homeowner associations and local governments to regulate law-abiding shooting ranges out of existence. If existing ranges to do not adhere to all local government noise regulations implemented before and after a range began operations they would be subject to criminal AND civil liability. Essentially, if a single homeowner or local government wanted to push a shooting range out of business for personal bias or political reasons they are encouraged to do so by this legislation.
Senate Bill 469 uses arbitrary and difficult to enforce language such as a specification that the rate of fire should not exceed one round every 2 seconds. This is not a reasonable threshold of noise, especially considering it is impossible to enforce if there are multiple range users present and firing at one time. Sportsmen rely heavily on access to shooting ranges so they can be prepared to safely perform a shooting task when not in a controlled range environment. This legislation fails to recognize how reliant our New Hampshire members are on access to training opportunities and how important shooting ranges are to maintaining safe firearm practices.
“This legislation could force taxpaying businesses to close their doors as a result of a single homeowner that has a personal bias against shooting sports,” said Jacob Hupp, associate director of state services for the Sportsmen’s Alliance. “We urge our New Hampshire members to reach out to their state senators and let them know that the sportsmen in their state do not support subjecting established businesses to fines, lawsuits by individuals and government overreach as a result of one or two disgruntled homeowners.”
About the Sportsmen’s Alliance: The Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and research. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.