New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu recently signed a new law that allows workers in the state to keep guns and ammunition in a locked car on their employer’s property. The law will take effect January 1, 2025

Quick Hits

• A new law permits certain workers in New Hampshire to store guns and ammunition in a locked car on the employer’s property.
• Covered employers may not discharge or discipline an employee for storing a gun or ammunition in a locked car.
• The law will take effect January 1, 2025.

The law prohibits covered employers from taking adverse action against workers for storing firearms or ammunition in a locked vehicle. Employers can still ban guns from being carried on an employee’s person, in company-owned or -leased vehicles, and from everywhere else on the employer’s premises. This provision applies to state agencies, municipalities, and private employers that receive public funds from the federal or state government.

The law also prohibits employers from inquiring into or searching for firearms or ammunition in locked vehicles on the employer’s property. This provision applies to all employers.

While the firearm does not need to be locked in a safe or otherwise secured in the vehicle, it must be out of sight. The law provides civil immunity to employers for any economic loss, injury, or death that results from an employer’s compliance with the law.

Safety at the workplace is an important priority for many businesses, and some have banned the possession of firearms at the workplace, including in parking lots that workers use. The federal Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act’s general duty clause requires employers to protect employees from foreseeable hazards, including incidents of workplace violence.

Background on Guns at Work

In June 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that private individuals have the right to carry a loaded gun in public for self-defense. It struck down a New York law that required people who applied for a concealed carry permit to show they had proper cause to carry a concealed gun. Thus, the Court invalidated similar requirements in other states.

Since then, Alabama and Louisiana have joined many other states that allow people to carry a concealed gun in public without a permit. Many states have laws permitting guns in workplace parking lots, but not in other parts of an employer’s property.

Next Steps

Employers in New Hampshire may wish to revise their employee handbooks and policies to adhere to the new law regarding guns in locked vehicles. They may also wish to clearly communicate to employees about the new rules regarding having guns in a locked car or elsewhere on the employer’s premises.

Employers can continue to maintain zero-tolerance policies toward workplace violence.