New Hampshire Senate approves "red flag law" allowing temporary firearm confiscation

The New Hampshire Senate passed a bill to allow the temporary confiscation of firearms in dangerous situations Monday, part of an end-of-year suite of bills on the last voting day of the session.

In a party-line, 14-10 vote, senators voted to pass “extreme risk protection orders" allowing concerned family members, housemates and romantic partners of a firearm owner to ask a judge to have that firearm removed if they believe the person intends self-harm or poses a risk to others.

Democrats held up the bill, known nationally as a “red flag law” as an effective tool against New Hampshire’s rising suicide crisis, allowing loved ones to intervene and remove a gun from a scenario that could turn to tragedy.

The bill would allow the family member or housemate to seek an “ex parte” order – meaning that the defendant would not be present – that would temporarily require the person to relinquish their firearm. That order could be carried out by law enforcement, according to the bill.

Read more: https://www.concordmonitor.com/New-Hampshire-Senate-votes-red-flag-law-redistricting-commission-34994219