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Advocates, Prosecutors Oppose Changes That Would Limit Firearm Relinquishment in Stalking Orders
Summary
Law enforcement advocates, victim‑service agencies and prosecutors told the committee they oppose House Bill 700 because it would make it harder for courts to remove firearms in stalking and protective‑order situations; petitioners and some lawmakers said the bill is needed to prevent weaponized, retaliatory petitions.
The committee held a lengthy hearing on House Bill 700, which proposes changes to the stalking/protective order petition forms and would add language intended to deter false petitions and to narrow automatic firearm relinquishment in certain non‑intimate‑partner stalking petitions. The bill drew sharply divided testimony from victim‑service organizations, prosecutors, victims and people who said they were harmed by what they described as weaponized petitions.
Representative Kelly Potenza (Strafford) said the bill addresses a gap that she and constituents found after a local experience in which a protective order filing led to the immediate confiscation of firearms that later escalated retaliation and a family hardship. The sponsor asked the committee to…
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