A New Hampshire resident, nonresident, or alien lawfully present in the state who is not otherwise prohibited from possessing a firearm may carry a loaded...
Reviewed by Will Luker, Founder of CCW Hub. USCCA Training Counselor, USCCA Certified Instructor, NRA Certified Instructor, Law Enforcement.
A New Hampshire resident, nonresident, or alien lawfully present in the state who is not otherwise prohibited from possessing a firearm may carry a loaded pistol or revolver concealed on or about the person, in a vehicle, or anywhere else not specifically prohibited, without a license. RSA 159:6, III is the controlling subsection. New Hampshire is a constitutional-carry (permitless-carry) state, so the optional license under RSA 159:6 is not a prerequisite for concealed carry.
RSA 159:6, III: "The availability of a license to carry a loaded pistol or revolver under this section or under any other provision of law shall not be construed to impose a prohibition on the unlicensed transport or carry of a firearm in a vehicle, or on or about one's person, whether openly or concealed, loaded or unloaded, by a resident, nonresident, or alien if that individual is not otherwise prohibited by statute from possessing a firearm in the state of New Hampshire."
Before SB 12 (2017), a license under RSA 159:6 was the gateway to carrying a loaded pistol or revolver concealed. RSA 159:4, the former criminal provision tied to unlicensed concealed carry, was repealed by 2017, 1:3, effective February 22, 2017. SB 12 also added RSA 159:6, III, which confirms that the availability of a license does not bar unlicensed carry. The optional license remains useful for reciprocity travel and for the federal Brady permit exemption, but it is no longer required to carry in New Hampshire.
The pre-2017 era is over. There is no longer any state-level criminal exposure for a non-prohibited person who carries concealed in New Hampshire without a license.
New Hampshire law does not define "concealed" by statute. As a practical matter, concealment is whatever the carrier uses to obscure the firearm from ordinary observation, such as carry under clothing, in a holster under a jacket, or in a purse or bag. Because no license is required, the line between "concealed" and "open" carries no current criminal consequence under state law. The relevant questions become:
Any person who is not prohibited from possessing a firearm. State law bars possession by certain convicted felons under RSA 159:3, which makes it a class B felony for a person convicted of a felony against the person or property of another, a felony under RSA 318-B, or an equivalent out-of-state drug felony to own, possess, or control a pistol, revolver, or other firearm or listed deadly weapon. Federal law independently bars the nine categories of prohibited persons in 18 U.S.C. 922(g), which include a person convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year, a fugitive from justice, an unlawful drug user, a person adjudicated mentally defective or committed to a mental institution, certain aliens, a person dishonorably discharged, a person who renounced U.S. citizenship, a person subject to a qualifying domestic-violence protective order, and a person convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. Note that "under indictment" is not in 922(g); that restriction on shipping, transporting, or receiving firearms is in 18 U.S.C. 922(n).
On age: federal law makes it unlawful for a person under 18 (a "juvenile" as defined in the statute) to knowingly possess a handgun, with limited exceptions, under 18 U.S.C. 922(x). The federal age to purchase a handgun from a federally licensed dealer is 21 under 18 U.S.C. 922(b)(1).
RSA 159:6, III explicitly covers "loaded or unloaded" carry. There is no NH state-law distinction. A loaded pistol or revolver may be carried concealed on the person or in a vehicle by a non-prohibited person.
Vehicle carry is squarely within RSA 159:6, III, which expressly addresses "transport or carry of a firearm in a vehicle." No license is required. A loaded pistol may be in the glove box, on the seat, in a center console, on the carrier's person, or anywhere else in the vehicle, so long as the carrier is not a prohibited person.
All lawful for non-prohibited persons. The carry mode does not matter under RSA 159:6, III.
A holder of an RSA 159:6 license has no greater authority than a non-prohibited unlicensed carrier in terms of where and how they may carry inside New Hampshire. The license provides external benefits. It supports reciprocity travel through agreements the director of state police negotiates under RSA 159:6-d. It can serve as a Brady permit that exempts the holder from a point-of-sale NICS check at a federally licensed dealer under 18 U.S.C. 922(t)(3) when the permit was issued within the prior 5 years after a government official verified eligibility. It also satisfies the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act carve-out for a person "licensed to do so by the State in which the school zone is located" under 18 U.S.C. 922(q)(2)(B)(ii). For in-state carry, the license and constitutional carry are equivalent.
Note on reciprocity direction. RSA 159:6-d is outbound only. It directs the director of the division of state police to negotiate and seek recognition of the New Hampshire license in other jurisdictions. It does not control whether New Hampshire honors an out-of-state license. New Hampshire allows carry by any non-prohibited person under RSA 159:6, III regardless of whether that person holds any license, so a visitor from another state may carry here on the same constitutional-carry basis as a resident.
This page covers one part of our New Hampshire concealed carry guide.
Read the complete New Hampshire guideBrowse local instructors offering state-approved training in your area. Book online, complete your training, and get one step closer to your concealed carry permit.