This is a directory of the agencies, organizations, and statutes a New Hampshire gun owner is most likely to need. Each statute label below has been...
Reviewed by Will Luker, Founder of CCW Hub. USCCA Training Counselor, USCCA Certified Instructor, NRA Certified Instructor, Law Enforcement.
New Hampshire Firearm Resources
Updated
New Hampshire Firearm Resources
This is a directory of the agencies, organizations, and statutes a New Hampshire gun owner is most likely to need. Each statute label below has been checked against the text of the statute it names. Always confirm a statute against the official New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated before relying on it.
State agencies
New Hampshire Department of Safety, Division of State Police - Permits and Licensing
Issues the nonresident License to Carry a loaded pistol or revolver. The director of state police, or a person the director designates, signs and issues licenses to nonresident applicants under RSA 159:6, I.
Provides the application form. RSA 159:6, I(b) requires use of the state pistol/revolver license application, form DSSP 85 (as revised December 2009), and no other form.
Negotiates reciprocity agreements so the New Hampshire license is recognized in other states. Under RSA 159:6-d the director of state police negotiates and enters into reciprocal agreements with other jurisdictions to recognize the validity of the RSA 159:6 license. This statute is outbound only. It directs the director to seek recognition of the New Hampshire license elsewhere. It does not control whether New Hampshire recognizes out-of-state licenses.
Issues hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses. RSA 214:1 requires a valid license before a person may fish, hunt, trap, shoot, pursue, take, or kill the wildlife listed in that section.
Sets hunting season dates, bag limits, and method restrictions.
Operates the hunter education program. A basic hunter education certificate of completion is required before a hunting license is issued under RSA 214:23-a. The program itself is authorized under RSA 214:23-b.
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
Federal firearms regulator.
Maintains the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record for NFA firearms under 26 U.S.C. 5841, and processes NFA registration (Forms 1, 4, 5, 5320.20).
Governs air-travel firearms transport. Carrying a weapon onto an aircraft or into the sterile area is a federal crime under 49 U.S.C. 46505. Lawful transport is in a locked, hard-sided case as checked baggage, declared at the airline counter.
Publishes the prohibited-items list and check-in procedures.
For New Hampshire residents, the issuing authority for the optional License to Carry under RSA 159:6, I(a) is:
The selectmen of a town, or a full-time police officer they designate.
The mayor or chief of police of a city, or a full-time police officer they designate.
The county sheriff for a resident of an unincorporated place, or for a town that has no police chief if the selectmen so designate.
Each town and city has its own contact information. See the municipal website or the New Hampshire Municipal Association directory at https://www.nhmunicipal.org.
Training providers
Sig Sauer Academy (Epping, NH)
Major regional training facility.
Courses ranging from basic pistol to professional and tactical training.
New Hampshire is a constitutional-carry state. Under RSA 159:6, III any adult who is not prohibited by statute from possessing a firearm may carry a loaded pistol or revolver, openly or concealed, with or without a license. Visitors from other states may carry on the same terms, whether or not they hold an out-of-state permit. The New Hampshire License to Carry exists mainly so that residents can have their carry recognized in other states that require a permit.
The reciprocity agreements the director of state police negotiates under RSA 159:6-d affect where the New Hampshire license is honored in other states. They do not change who may carry inside New Hampshire.
Note: New Hampshire does not endorse or regulate self-defense insurance products. Evaluate any coverage carefully on its own terms.
Ranges and clubs
New Hampshire has numerous public and private ranges and clubs. Notable facilities:
NH Fish and Game public shooting ranges (Owl Brook Hunter Education Center; several wildlife management areas).
Pelham Fish and Game Club.
Manchester Firing Line.
Sig Sauer Academy public ranges (Epping).
Bristol Outdoor Club.
Concord Junior Rifle Club.
A directory of clubs is maintained by the NH State Rifle and Pistol Association.
Federal statutes and regulations relevant to NH carriers
18 U.S.C. 922(g) - federal prohibited persons. Lists nine categories, including felony conviction, fugitive status, unlawful drug use, certain mental-health adjudications, certain alien status, dishonorable discharge, renounced citizenship, a qualifying domestic-violence protective order, and a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. Being under indictment is addressed separately in 18 U.S.C. 922(n), not 922(g).
18 U.S.C. 922(q) - federal Gun-Free School Zones Act.
18 U.S.C. 922(t) - federal NICS background-check requirement for licensed dealers.
18 U.S.C. 926A - federal interstate-transport safe harbor (Firearm Owners Protection Act). Protects transport of an unloaded firearm, not readily accessible, between two places where carry is lawful.
18 U.S.C. 930 - possession of firearms and dangerous weapons in federal facilities.
18 U.S.C. 1715 - nonmailable firearms. Covers pistols, revolvers, and other firearms capable of being concealed on the person. It does not apply to long guns.
26 U.S.C. 5811 - NFA transfer tax. As amended by Pub. L. 119-21 (enacted July 4, 2025), the tax is $200 for a machinegun or destructive device and $0 for any other NFA firearm. The amended rates apply to calendar quarters beginning more than 90 days after enactment, so the first quarter they apply to is January 1, 2026.
26 U.S.C. 5821 - NFA making tax. As amended by Pub. L. 119-21, the same rule applies, on the same January 1, 2026 effective date: $200 for a machinegun or destructive device and $0 for any other NFA firearm.
26 U.S.C. 5841 - National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
49 U.S.C. 46505 - carrying a weapon or explosive on an aircraft.
27 C.F.R. Part 478 - federal firearms commerce regulations.
49 C.F.R. 1540.111 - TSA rules for firearms in checked baggage.
36 C.F.R. 2.4 - National Park Service firearm rules.
Key NH statutes for quick reference
The label after each citation matches the title of the statute as published. Where the prior version of this guide carried an incorrect label, the corrected entry is used here.
RSA 159:3 - Convicted Felons. Makes possession of a firearm or other deadly weapon by a person with a qualifying felony conviction a class B felony.
RSA 159:6 - License to Carry. The optional license, valid for not less than 5 years, with a $10 resident fee and a $100 nonresident fee.
RSA 159:6-a - Confidentiality of Licenses. License papers and records are open only to law enforcement or by court order.
RSA 159:6-b - Suspension or Revocation of License. Sets the suspension and revocation procedure and the 7-day hearing request window.
RSA 159:6-c - Appeal From Denial, Suspension, or Revocation. A 30-day petition to the district or municipal court.
RSA 159:6-d - Reciprocity. Directs the state police to seek recognition of the New Hampshire license in other states.
RSA 159:6-e - Violation. A civil petition to the superior court for injunctive relief against a licensing entity that violates the licensing sections.
RSA 159:14 - Exemption. Lets a private individual not in the business of selling pistols or revolvers sell one to a licensee or to a person known to the seller.
RSA 159:15 - Possession of Dangerous Weapon While Committing a Violent Crime. A class A misdemeanor.
RSA 159:19 - Courthouse Security. Knowingly carrying a loaded or unloaded pistol, revolver, firearm, or other deadly weapon, whether open or concealed and whether licensed or unlicensed, in a courtroom or area used by a court is a class B felony, subject to the law enforcement and court-authorization exceptions in the statute.
RSA 159:26 - Firearms, Ammunition, and Knives; Authority of the State. State firearm preemption.
RSA 173-B - Domestic Violence Protective Orders.
RSA 207:7 - Hunting from Motor Vehicle, OHRV, Snowmobile, Boat, or Aircraft. Restricts carrying a loaded long gun in or on a moving motor vehicle while hunting.
RSA 207:7-a - Disabled Persons. A permit allowing certain disabled hunters to hunt from a motor vehicle, with the firearm not loaded while the vehicle is moving.
RSA 207:13 - Field Trials. Governs permits for dog field trials. It does not concern hunter education or carry.
RSA 214:23-a - Certificate of Completion Required. No hunting license is issued without a basic hunter education certificate of completion or an accepted equivalent.
RSA 627:1-a - Civil Immunity. Immunity from civil liability for force used and justified under RSA 627:4, 627:5, 627:6, 627:7, and 627:8, plus attorney's fees and costs.
RSA 627:4 - Physical Force in Defense of a Person. The core self-defense and deadly-force statute.
RSA 627:5 - Physical Force in Law Enforcement.
RSA 627:6 - Physical Force by Persons With Special Responsibilities.
RSA 627:7 - Use of Force in Defense of Premises. Allows non-deadly force to prevent or terminate a criminal trespass, and deadly force only in defense of a person under RSA 627:4 or to prevent an attempt to commit arson. It is a single paragraph with no subsections.
RSA 627:8 - Use of Force in Property Offenses.
RSA 627:9 - Definitions.
RSA 635:2 - Criminal Trespass. A misdemeanor for a first offense.
RSA 639:3 - Endangering Welfare of Child or Incompetent. The statute used when an adult's handling or storage of a firearm endangers a child. New Hampshire has no broad child-access-prevention storage statute.
RSA 641:3 - Unsworn Falsification. A false statement on a form bearing a statutory penalty notice, or made to deceive a public servant, is a misdemeanor. This is the offense that applies to a false statement on a state firearm form.
RSA 644:13 - Unauthorized Use of Firearms. Discharging a firearm within the compact part of a town or city without permission is a violation. This is not a storage statute.
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