These 3 Weapons Are Highly Illegal to Own in New Hampshire

Editor's note: This article was written by a Townsquare Media Northern New England contributor and may contain the individual's views, opinions, or personal experiences.

The state of New Hampshire has a reputation of being pretty loose with its gun laws, as we are one of the most permissive in the country. It is stated in our constitution, "All persons have the right to keep and bear arms in defense of themselves, their families, their property and the state."

Though the country is experiencing more gun deaths than ever before, New Hampshire was ranked the 9th lowest gun death rate of the 50 states, despite its looser gun laws. The state has also not had a mass shooting event since 1982.

According to concealedandcarry.com, the penalties for possessing a prohibited weapon can vary from fines to prison to probation and anything in between. As with any other crime, the penalty really depends on the circumstances of your case. But in general, someone convicted in New Hampshire of a misdemeanor could face a possible fine of up to $2,000 and be ordered to spend one year in jail.

According to knifeden.com, there was a sweeping expansion of knife rights in New Hampshire in 2010. The governor at the time, Governor John Lynch, signed a bill that made it legal to own any kind of knife or blade and carry it openly or concealed. Restrictions only apply to convicted felons.  After this change in 2010, The Granite State represents the highest possible peak of knife rights, and is the knife-friendliest state in the United States.The following knives used to be illegal (prior to 2010) in New Hampshire but aren't anymore:

Ballistic Knives: 

A Ballistic Knife is defined as a knife with a detachable blade that can be ejected to a distance of several meters/yards by pressing a trigger or operating a lever. Sounds hella dangerous!

Stiletto knife:

No, we're not talking about the high heels! A stiletto knife is a long, narrow blade used historically in Italy and around Europe with a needle point.

Switchblade:

Anything greater than three inches long used to be illegal in the Granite State.

With such loose gun and knife laws in New Hampshire, you'd be hard pressed to find a weapon that is totally illegal within our state's bounds but they do exist and it's best to know what they are.

Let's look at three weapons that are illegal to own in New Hampshire.