Governor Sununu Vetoes Extreme Risk Protection Orders

Contact Name: Sara Persechino

Phone: (603) 271-3479

Email: Sara.Persechino@leg.state.nh.us

CONCORD - Today, Governor Sununu vetoed HB 687, a bill establishing a procedure for issuing extreme risk protection orders to protect against persons who pose an immediate risk of harm to themselves or others.

Senator Martha Hennessey (D-Hanover) issued the following statement in response:

“Between 2013-2017, we lost nearly 1,200 New Hampshire residents to suicide. Nearly half of those suicides were done with a firearm. According to a report published by the CDC our suicide rates increased 48.3% between 1999-2016. This cannot continue.

Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) laws are a public health and safety measure. The intention is not, as the opposition has wrongfully argued, to take away guns from their lawful owners. The intention is to give concerned family members and law enforcement the proper tools to request assistance from our courts in protecting someone who may be a danger to themselves and others. I am extremely disappointed that Governor Sununu has vetoed this life saving legislation.”

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