Bill > HB1084

This bill modifies New Hampshire's domestic violence protective order laws to strengthen requirements for defendants to relinquish deadly weapons. The bill defines a "law enforcement officer" and mandates that when a protective order is issued, the defendant must immediately surrender all deadly weapons, firearms, and ammunition to the peace officer serving the order. The legislation changes existing language from permissive ("may") to mandatory ("shall"), requiring courts to issue search warrants to seize weapons if there is probable cause to believe firearms are present. The bill also establishes specific procedures for weapon relinquishment, including requiring defendants to voluntarily surrender weapons, identify storage locations, and cooperate with law enforcement. Notably, the bill creates new criminal penalties, making it a class A misdemeanor for a defendant to refuse to surrender or disclose weapon locations, and a class A misdemeanor (potentially escalating to a class B felony) for anyone who provides a weapon to a person under a protective order. Law enforcement must report weapon surrender status to the court within 24 hours, and defendants who refuse to relinquish weapons can be immediately detained. The bill will take effect on January 1, 2027, and aims to enhance safety for domestic violence victims by more strictly controlling weapon access for those under protective orders.

Justice

https://gc.nh.gov/bill_Status/billinfo.aspx?id=1786&inflect=2