New Hampshire Carry Laws

Prohibited Places - Where You Cannot Carry

New Hampshire: Carrying a pistol, revolver, firearm, or other deadly weapon — open or concealed, licensed or unlicensed — in a courtroom or area used by a court is a class B felony, per RSA 159:19 (absence of the required posted notice at each public courthouse entrance is an affirmative defense). State statute imposes no other general location ban on lawful carriers. Federal law separately restricts K-12 school zones and federal facilities.

PROHIBITED PLACES - WHERE YOU CANNOT CARRY
New Hampshire

New Hampshire: Carrying a pistol, revolver, firearm, or other deadly weapon — open or concealed, licensed or unlicensed — in a courtroom or area used by a court is a class B felony, per RSA 159:19 (absence of the required posted notice at each public courthouse entrance is an affirmative defense). State statute imposes no other general location ban on lawful carriers. Federal law separately restricts K-12 school zones and federal facilities.
Authority: N.H. RSA 159:19 (courthouse security).

Constitutional Carry - No Permit Required

New Hampshire allows permitless concealed carry for anyone 18+ who can legally possess a firearm.

New Hampshire enacted SB 12 in 2017 (2017, 1:3, effective February 22, 2017), repealing RSA 159:4. Anyone 18+ may carry concealed without permit. Open carry also legal. Prohibited places: courtrooms and areas used by a court — RSA 159:19, I bars carrying a firearm or other deadly weapon there "whether open or concealed or whether licensed or unlicensed", a class B felony; and secure airport areas. Permitless carry comes from the 2017 repeal of RSA 159:4; RSA 159:6 governs the optional license to carry, which is useful for reciprocity. License available for reciprocity.

Duty to Inform - No Duty

New Hampshire: No statutory duty to tell an officer you are carrying, and no statute requires you to answer if asked.

DUTY TO INFORM LAW ENFORCEMENT
NEW HAMPSHIRE

New Hampshire: No statutory duty to tell an officer you are carrying, and no statute requires you to answer if asked.

Authority: N.H. RSA ch. 159 — absence verified across the full merged chapter (no inform/disclose/display provision); permitless carry since 2017 (SB 12).

No Magazine Capacity Limit

New Hampshire has no state-level magazine capacity restrictions. Standard and extended magazines are legal.

MAGAZINE CAPACITY RESTRICTIONS
NEW HAMPSHIRE LAW
No state restrictions on magazine capacity.
FEDERAL FACILITIES
Note: Some federal facilities may have their own restrictions regardless of state law.

No Red Flag Law

New Hampshire: No red flag (ERPO) law is in effect as of February 2026.

RED FLAG / EXTREME RISK LAW
New Hampshire

New Hampshire: No red flag (ERPO) law is in effect as of February 2026.

Authority: no extreme-risk (ERPO) statute in the state code as of February 2026; Johns Hopkins National ERPO Resource Center state tracker.

No-Carry Signs - Not Criminal to Ignore

New Hampshire has no firearms statute giving 'no guns' signs force of law; exclusion is enforced as criminal trespass (RSA 635:2) — a violation-level offense generally, rising to a misdemeanor in 'secured premises' (posted or enclosed against intruders) or after an order to leave or not enter is personally communicated.

"NO FIREARMS" SIGN LAW
NEW HAMPSHIRE

New Hampshire has no firearms statute giving 'no guns' signs force of law; exclusion is enforced as criminal trespass (RSA 635:2) — a violation-level offense generally, rising to a misdemeanor in 'secured premises' (posted or enclosed against intruders) or after an order to leave or not enter is personally communicated.

Authority: N.H. RSA 635:2 (criminal trespass).

Stand Your Ground - No Duty to Retreat

New Hampshire: Stand Your Ground state. No duty to retreat before using force in self-defense anywhere you have a legal right to be.

SELF-DEFENSE LAWS
NEW HAMPSHIRE LAW
Stand Your Ground: YES
Castle Doctrine: YES
Stand Your Ground. No duty to retreat.
WHAT THIS MEANS
CASTLE DOCTRINE
Under RSA 627:4, III(a) there is no duty to retreat in your dwelling, its curtilage, or anywhere you have a right to be, provided you were not the initial aggressor. New Hampshire law contains no statutory presumption that an intruder intends harm; RSA 627:4, II(b) instead justifies deadly force against a person likely to use any unlawful force while committing or attempting a burglary.

Vehicle Carry - Loaded Firearms Allowed

New Hampshire: Constitutional carry state; adults may carry loaded firearms in vehicles without a permit, and there is no statutory duty to inform officers you are carrying or to display a license.

VEHICLE CARRY - LOADED FIREARMS ALLOWED
New Hampshire

New Hampshire: Constitutional carry state; adults may carry loaded firearms in vehicles without a permit, and there is no statutory duty to inform officers you are carrying or to display a license.

Authority: New Hampshire RSA Chapter 159 — Pistols and Revolvers (full chapter).