Psychiatrist John Hinck was on duty at New Hampshire Hospital on November 17, 2023, when gunfire shattered the routine of the state’s largest psychiatric facility. He recalled sheltering in place with the staff and patients, only to find later security officer Bradley Haas killed in the lobby.

Haas, a retired Franklin police chief, was shot by John Madore, a former patient who had been treated at the Concord facility in 2016.

Years later, Madore purchased a pistol in Barrington, falsely claiming on a federal firearms application that he had no history of mental health issues. Armed with the handgun, he returned to the Concord facility and opened fire.

“Clearly the current system is not working and Chief Haas and the gunman died as a result,” Hinck said during a legislative hearing to strengthen mental health background checks for firearms.“When a tragedy like this occurs it is the responsibility of our elected leaders to investigate what caused the tragedy and to fix the problem so it will not happen.”

Hinck views House Bill 159, known as “Bradley’s Law” in honor of Haas, as a potential solution to reducing gun crimes in the state.

The legislation sponsored by Rep. Terry Roy, a Deerfield Republican, would require the state courts and the Department of Safety to report certain mental health records to the federal National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).

Currently, 37 states have laws requiring mental health professionals, law enforcement officers, or court officials to report individuals to the federal system if they have been involuntarily committed to a mental health facility or found to be a danger to themselves or others, which prevented them from owning firearms.

The bill includes a provision that allows individuals to regain their rights once they have shown improvement. If a doctor determines the person is no longer a danger, an individual could present this letter in court to request the restoration of their firearm ownership rights.

Roy acknowledged that even with this law, people with mental health issues can find ways to purchase firearms. But he sees this as a necessary step to reduce gun violence and follow other states.

“We could be the problem for someone else,” Roy said “New Hampshire doesn’t have a wall around it. People can leave.”

However, not all medical professionals are convinced.

David Strang, an emergency physician with 35 years of experience, believes the bill poses a serious risk due to the mental health information that would be shared with the federal government.

“Allowing any government for legal purposes to be in possession of private medical information shielded by the long-revered and protected principle of doctor-patient confidentiality should put shivers down your spine,” Strang told lawmakers.

The bill would require reporting a person’s name, social security number, and date of birth.

In online testimony, 159 people voiced support for the bill, while 247 expressed their opposition.

Joe Hannon, vice president of the Gun Owners of New Hampshire, said the law might discourage people from coming forward to seek mental health treatment.

“This is something that can actually prohibit people from wanting to come forward if they’re worried about what’s going to happen to me and it doesn’t necessarily have to be for guns,” Hannon said. “The history of mental illness being used to weaponize so to speak is not something new.”

The National Alliance on Mental Illness NH (NAMI NH) reports that 87% of gun deaths in New Hampshire are suicides, significantly higher than the national rate of 56%.

Holly Stevens, director of public policy at NAMI NH, said the organization “cautiously supports this bill,” noting that it won’t impact individuals who are initially involuntarily admitted but later choose voluntary admission before a probate hearing.

Opponents of the bill argue that it infringes on Second Amendment rights and doesn’t address the core issue.

Kimberly Morin, representing the Women’s Defense League, argued that the bill discriminates against gun owners in the state and is deeply flawed. She questioned why items like knives, lighters, and pressure cookers aren’t being confiscated or turned in as well.

“This bill is an emotional knee-jerk reaction to the horrible murder of a former law enforcement officer turned unarmed security guard at the state psychiatric facility,” said Morin. “This bill still points the finger at gun owners and the reality is the finger should be pointed back at the psychiatrists who pushed for this failure and the New Hampshire legislators for doing nothing to remedy or solve the actual issue in regards to violently mentally ill people.”

 

Sruthi Gopalakrishnan can be reached at sgopalakrishnan@cmonitor.com