According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, New Hampshire has the 13th lowest firearm death rate in the U.S.

There were 132 firearm-related deaths in New Hampshire in 2016, a rate of 9.3 per 100,000 population.

All of New England has a low firearm death rate. Massachusetts has the lowest rate, 3.4 deaths per 100,000 population. Rhode Island came in second (3.1), Connecticut came in fifth (4.6), Maine came in ninth (8.3), and Vermont came in fifteenth (11.1).

In 2018, lawmakers will consider HB 1749. This bill would:

• reinforce the state’s authority over municipalities to prohibit or regulate firearms and other weapons
• render null and void any local ordinances prohibiting or regulating weapons
• impose penalties for local government officials and entities who make such ordinances in violation of state law

Current law for town bans on guns

Honolulu’s police department recently sent letters to registered medicinal pot users, stating they had 30 days to voluntarily turn in their guns—that is, until public outcry prompted a review and ultimate reversal of the policy.

House Democratic Leader Steve Shurtleff is proposing legislation that would ban the sale, purchase, and possession of bump stock attachments to semi-automatic rifles.

To learn more about Rep. Shurtleff, including his position on issues like gun control, see his profile page.

Bump stocks and the Las Vegas shooting