Question 1

Is New Hampshire a constitutional carry state?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The former license requirement (RSA 159:4) was repealed effective February 22, 2017. RSA 159:6, III now states: '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.' The statute does not set a separate minimum age for carrying.

Question 2

How do you get a concealed carry permit in New Hampshire?

Accepted Answer

Optional license to carry a loaded pistol or revolver. Residents apply to the selectmen of their town, the mayor or chief of police of their city (or a designated officer), or the county sheriff in listed cases; nonresidents apply to the director of state police. The issuing official 'shall sign and issue a license' if the applicant 'has good reason to fear injury to the applicant's person or property or has any proper purpose' and is not barred from possessing firearms; 'Hunting, target shooting, or self-defense shall be considered a proper purpose' (shall-issue). Valid 'for not less than 5 years from the date of issue.' Must be issued within 14 days. Fee: '$10' for residents and '$100' for out-of-state residents. No photograph or fingerprints are required unless the applicant asks. The statute sets no training requirement or minimum age.

Question 3

Is open carry legal in New Hampshire?

Accepted Answer

Allowed without a license for anyone not prohibited from possessing a firearm: RSA 159:6, III says the license law does not prohibit unlicensed carry 'whether openly or concealed, loaded or unloaded.' Open or concealed carry is banned in courtrooms and areas used by a court (RSA 159:19). Cities and towns may not regulate firearm possession or carrying except as specifically allowed by statute (RSA 159:26).

Question 4

How old do you have to be to buy a gun in New Hampshire?

Accepted Answer

'Any person who shall sell, barter, hire, lend or give to any minor any pistol or revolver shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.' Exceptions: parents, grandparents, guardians, administrators or executors giving a pistol or revolver to their children, wards or heirs; supervised firearms training with parental permission; licensed hunters accompanying a minor while lawfully hunting; and supervision during a lawful shooting event. Under RSA 21:44, adulthood begins at 18. The rule applies to private transfers as well as dealers. The state statute addresses pistols and revolvers only; no state minimum age for long guns was found.

Question 5

Do private gun sales need a background check in New Hampshire?

Accepted Answer

New Hampshire has no state law that requires a background check, permit or license for private (non-dealer) firearm sales. No person may sell, deliver or otherwise transfer a pistol, revolver or any other firearm to a person convicted of a felony (class B felony), and no firearm may be delivered to a buyer who is not personally known to the seller or does not present clear evidence of identity. The Department of Safety may serve as the state point of contact for NICS checks on dealer sales.

Question 6

Is there a waiting period to buy a gun in New Hampshire?

Accepted Answer

New Hampshire has no state law that sets a waiting period between buying a firearm and taking delivery.

Question 7

Does New Hampshire have a red flag law?

Accepted Answer

New Hampshire has no state law that sets up extreme risk protection orders (red flag orders). Domestic violence protective orders under RSA 173-B are sought by the person abused.

Question 8

Does New Hampshire ban assault weapons or high-capacity magazines?

Accepted Answer

New Hampshire has no state law that bans assault weapons or limits magazine capacity.

Question 9

Can you keep a gun in your car in New Hampshire without a permit?

Accepted Answer

No license is needed: RSA 159:6, III says the license law does not prohibit 'the unlicensed transport or carry of a firearm in a vehicle ... whether openly or concealed, loaded or unloaded' by anyone not otherwise prohibited from possessing a firearm. Separately, employers that receive public funds may not prohibit an employee who may legally possess a firearm from storing it in the employee's locked vehicle on the employer's property if the firearm is not visible (RSA 159:27, effective January 1, 2025).

Question 10

Which states' carry permits does New Hampshire honor?

Accepted Answer

Because New Hampshire allows anyone not prohibited from possessing a firearm, including a 'nonresident, or alien,' to carry openly or concealed without a license, a license from another state is not needed to carry in New Hampshire. For New Hampshire's own license, the director of state police 'shall negotiate and enter into reciprocal agreements with other jurisdictions to recognize in those jurisdictions the validity of the license' and must apply to every jurisdiction without an agreement at least once every 5 years.

Question 11

Where can't you carry a gun in New Hampshire?

Accepted Answer

No one may knowingly carry a loaded or unloaded pistol, revolver, firearm or other deadly weapon, 'whether open or concealed or whether licensed or unlicensed,' in a courtroom or area used by a court; class B felony. In a building used only by a court, this covers the whole building past the security point; in shared buildings, it covers courtrooms, jury and deliberation rooms, chambers, court staff areas, holding areas and connecting corridors. Firearms may be secured at the courthouse entrance. It is an affirmative defense if no notice was posted at each public entrance.

Question 12

Are ghost guns legal in New Hampshire?

Accepted Answer

New Hampshire has no state law that requires serial numbers on, or bans, homemade or unserialized firearms or firearm kits. It is a misdemeanor to change, alter, remove or obliterate the maker's name, model, manufacturer's number or other identification mark on a pistol or revolver.

Permitless (constitutional) carry	Yes. The former license requirement (RSA 159:4) was repealed effective February 22, 2017. RSA 159:6, III now states: '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.' The statute does not set a separate minimum age for carrying. Source: RSA 159:6, III; RSA 159:4 (repealed by 2017, 1:3)
Concealed carry permit	Optional license to carry a loaded pistol or revolver. Residents apply to the selectmen of their town, the mayor or chief of police of their city (or a designated officer), or the county sheriff in listed cases; nonresidents apply to the director of state police. The issuing official 'shall sign and issue a license' if the applicant 'has good reason to fear injury to the applicant's person or property or has any proper purpose' and is not barred from possessing firearms; 'Hunting, target shooting, or self-defense shall be considered a proper purpose' (shall-issue). Valid 'for not less than 5 years from the date of issue.' Must be issued within 14 days. Fee: '$10' for residents and '$100' for out-of-state residents. No photograph or fingerprints are required unless the applicant asks. The statute sets no training requirement or minimum age. Paragraph I(b) is amended effective January 1, 2027 (2026, 325:2) to limit what the application form may ask; the fees and timing are unchanged in the new text. Source: RSA 159:6, I-II
Open carry	Allowed without a license for anyone not prohibited from possessing a firearm: RSA 159:6, III says the license law does not prohibit unlicensed carry 'whether openly or concealed, loaded or unloaded.' Open or concealed carry is banned in courtrooms and areas used by a court (RSA 159:19). Cities and towns may not regulate firearm possession or carrying except as specifically allowed by statute (RSA 159:26). Source: RSA 159:6, III; 159:19; 159:26
Guns in your car	No license is needed: RSA 159:6, III says the license law does not prohibit 'the unlicensed transport or carry of a firearm in a vehicle ... whether openly or concealed, loaded or unloaded' by anyone not otherwise prohibited from possessing a firearm. Separately, employers that receive public funds may not prohibit an employee who may legally possess a firearm from storing it in the employee's locked vehicle on the employer's property if the firearm is not visible (RSA 159:27, effective January 1, 2025). Source: RSA 159:6, III; 159:27
Other states' permits (reciprocity)	Because New Hampshire allows anyone not prohibited from possessing a firearm, including a 'nonresident, or alien,' to carry openly or concealed without a license, a license from another state is not needed to carry in New Hampshire. For New Hampshire's own license, the director of state police 'shall negotiate and enter into reciprocal agreements with other jurisdictions to recognize in those jurisdictions the validity of the license' and must apply to every jurisdiction without an agreement at least once every 5 years. Source: RSA 159:6, III; 159:6-d
Where guns are banned	No one may knowingly carry a loaded or unloaded pistol, revolver, firearm or other deadly weapon, 'whether open or concealed or whether licensed or unlicensed,' in a courtroom or area used by a court; class B felony. In a building used only by a court, this covers the whole building past the security point; in shared buildings, it covers courtrooms, jury and deliberation rooms, chambers, court staff areas, holding areas and connecting corridors. Firearms may be secured at the courthouse entrance. It is an affirmative defense if no notice was posted at each public entrance. Under RSA 193-D:2, the state board of education must require expulsion of a pupil who knowingly possesses a firearm in a safe school zone without authorization; no general state criminal ban on adults carrying on school property was found in the sections read. Source: RSA 159:19

Age to buy a gun	'Any person who shall sell, barter, hire, lend or give to any minor any pistol or revolver shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.' Exceptions: parents, grandparents, guardians, administrators or executors giving a pistol or revolver to their children, wards or heirs; supervised firearms training with parental permission; licensed hunters accompanying a minor while lawfully hunting; and supervision during a lawful shooting event. Under RSA 21:44, adulthood begins at 18. The rule applies to private transfers as well as dealers. The state statute addresses pistols and revolvers only; no state minimum age for long guns was found. Source: RSA 159:12; RSA 21:44
Background checks and private sales	New Hampshire has no state law that requires a background check, permit or license for private (non-dealer) firearm sales. No person may sell, deliver or otherwise transfer a pistol, revolver or any other firearm to a person convicted of a felony (class B felony), and no firearm may be delivered to a buyer who is not personally known to the seller or does not present clear evidence of identity. The Department of Safety may serve as the state point of contact for NICS checks on dealer sales. Reviewed RSA chapters 159 (Pistols and Revolvers), 159-A and 159-C (both repealed), 159-D (Criminal Background Checks), 159-E and 159-F on 2026-10-27; no provision found. Chapters 159-A (purchase of shotguns and rifles) and 159-C (sale of handguns; criminal record check) are repealed. Source: RSA chs. 159, 159-D, 159-E, 159-F (reviewed); RSA 159:7, 159:8, 159-D:1
Waiting period	New Hampshire has no state law that sets a waiting period between buying a firearm and taking delivery. Reviewed RSA chapters 159 (Pistols and Revolvers), 159-A and 159-C (both repealed), 159-D (Criminal Background Checks), 159-E and 159-F on 2026-10-27; no provision found. Source: RSA chs. 159, 159-D, 159-E, 159-F (reviewed)
Ghost guns and homemade firearms	New Hampshire has no state law that requires serial numbers on, or bans, homemade or unserialized firearms or firearm kits. It is a misdemeanor to change, alter, remove or obliterate the maker's name, model, manufacturer's number or other identification mark on a pistol or revolver. Reviewed RSA chapters 159 (Pistols and Revolvers), 159-A and 159-C (both repealed), 159-D (Criminal Background Checks), 159-E and 159-F on 2026-10-27; no provision found. Source: RSA chs. 159, 159-D, 159-E, 159-F (reviewed); RSA 159:13

New Hampshire Gun Laws: Concealed Carry, Open Carry and Buying a Gun

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Carrying a gun

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Red flag law and weapon limits

Gun Laws FAQ

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