The New Hampshire chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both a part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, today released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed HB197, a dangerous expansion to the state’s so called ‘Stand Your Ground’ law.
“Loosening our state gun laws will only make our communities less safe and put lives in jeopardy,” said Deidre Reynolds, a volunteer with the New Hampshire chapter of Moms Demand Action. “This bill will push the Granite state in the wrong direction and threaten public safety. We implore the Senate to recognize the dangers this policy poses, and reject it as soon as possible.”
HB197 would dramatically expand the circumstances in which a person could justifiably use deadly force against another. ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws are not about self defense., instead these laws codify “shoot now, ask questions later” mentality.
At the state level, these types of so-called ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws have been associated with considerable increases in gun deaths and nonfatal firearm injuries. This research suggests that expanding the situations in which deadly force is justified will increase the number of gun deaths and injuries related to homicides, assaults, and unintentional shootings. These increases come with significant economic costs to the state: Gun homicides, assaults and shootings by police already cost New Hampshire $142 million each year.
