A New Hampshire Firearm Bill of Sale is a record of a firearm’s ownership transfer from the seller to the buyer.
This legal document includes the date of the transaction, information about the parties involved, and a description of the firearm.
New Hampshire does not have a waiting period for firearm sales and is not strict regarding firearm laws.
State Laws for Selling a Gun in New Hampshire
Minimum Age to Purchase
Anyone age 18 or older.
Permit for Purchase
It is illegal to sell or transfer a firearm to anyone convicted of a felony, and violators face a class B felony charge. [1]
Register a Gun
New Hampshire does not require firearm owners to register privately owned firearms.
There are no record-keeping requirements for firearms sold in New Hampshire.
Open Carry Permit
New Hampshire law prohibits civil groups from adopting a military appearance by carrying weapons. [2] Otherwise, it is legal to openly carry a loaded handgun in public without a license, and there are no additional regulations on open carry. [3]
Concealed Carry Permit
New Hampshire allows open and concealed carry of firearms for anyone age 18 or older and legally permitted to possess a firearm under federal and state law.
How to Apply
New Hampshire law does not require a license for state residents to carry a concealed firearm. However, eligible New Hampshire residents may still apply for a license using the Application for Resident Pistol/Revolver License, which can be used for reciprocity in other states that recognize it.
Additionally, out-of-state residents can complete an Application for Non-Resident Pistol/Revolver License that will allow them to conceal carry in New Hampshire if they don’t already have reciprocity from another eligible state. These concealed carry licenses are subject to Federal pistol and revolver licensing background checks.
Step 1 – Complete Application
All residents and non-residents must complete an application to obtain a peremit.
Step 2 – Pay Fees
Applicants need to pay applicable fees (the New Hampshire resident fee is $10; the out-of-state application fee is $100).
Step 3 – Mail Application
Mail your application to:
Department of Safety, Division of State Police, Permits and Licensing Unit, 33 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH 03301
Step 4 – Wait for Approval or Denial
Your license must be either issued or denied within 14 days of receipt of application. If it’s denied, the reason for denial must be given to you in writing. A concealed carry license in New Hampshire is valid for five years, expiring in the month of the license holder’s birthday.
Gun Reciprocity
Currently per the New Hampshire State Police, a Division of the New Hampshire Department of Safety, the following states will recognize New Hampshire resident pistol revolver licenses:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona *
- Arkansas
- Colorado *
- Florida *
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Michigan
- Missouri
- Mississippi
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Virginia
- West Virginia *
- Wyoming
* License holders must be 21 years of age or older.
Restrictions on Firearm Ownership
- In the case of handguns, an unlicensed private seller can only sell a pistol, revolver, or another firearm to someone “personally known to him”. [4]
- Anyone selling a handgun without a license is guilty of a class B Felony. [5]
- New Hampshire prohibits the purchase of firearms by anyone who has ever been convicted of a felony offense in any jurisdiction.
- A person is prohibited from owning a firearm if they have been convicted of a felony against a person or property of another, a felony under the New Hampshire Controlled Drug Act or a similar law relating to controlled drugs in another jurisdiction. [6]
Firearm Inheritance Laws
You can gift or transfer gun ownership to anyone who is legally eligible to possess a firearm and is over 18.
If the recipient is younger than 18, only a parent, grandparent, guardian, administrator, or executor of a will may gift a revolver or pistol to their children, wards, or heirs to their estate (NH Rev. Stat. § 159:12).
