The Republican-led Senate is poised to pass a bill Thursday that would effectively broaden who can get a state license needed to carry a concealed gun. 

The legislation would require local police chiefs to issue a license to anyone who can legally possess a firearm under federal and state law.

Currently, chiefs determine whether residents are “suitable” to get a concealed carry license based on a two-page application form. State law offers little guidance on what constitutes suitability. 

Supporters say the bill, SB 336, will remove subjectivity from the licensing process and ensure all applicants are considered under the same criteria. The Senate Judiciary Committee, composed of three Republicans and two Democrats, voted unanimously in favor of the legislation.

“There was a lot of concern about the word ‘suitable,’ ” said Sen. Sharon Carson, a Londonderry Republican who chairs the committee. “This is a Second Amendment right. Unless you are precluded from federal or state law from getting a license, there’s no reason you shouldn’t.”

Felons, drug users, domestic abusers, people living in the country illegally and fugitives are barred from owning guns under federal law, and would therefore not be eligible for a conceal carry license under the bill. New Hampshire is an open-carry state, meaning anyone who legally owns a gun can carry it exposed without any paperwork.

The bill “does not affect any kind of checks, or make it easier to, certainly in my view, to get a license,” said Sen. Bette Lasky, a Nashua Democrat. “It just makes it more consistent.”

But opponents argue the legislation will take discretion away from law enforcement, and could put concealed carry licenses into potentially dangerous hands.

The New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police is urging the Senate to vote the bill down Thursday, and is sending letters to each member laying out concerns. 

“There are people that aren’t necessarily convicted that would be able to get a license under this change,” said Tuftonboro police Chief Andy Shagoury. 

For example, he said, federal law bars minors from purchasing guns, but they are allowed to possess rifles and shotguns with a note from a parent. The bill, as written, would require chiefs to issue concealed carry licenses to teens, an area where they currently have some discretion, Shagoury said. 

“If they had a note from a parent, we would have to issue it,” Shagoury said. Lasky said that example is “of concern” and didn’t come up at a public hearing on the bill.

Even if the Senate passes the bill, it is unlikely Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan would sign it. She vetoed a similar measure last year. 

“Gov. Hassan does not believe we need to change New Hampshire’s current concealed carry permitting law,” Hassan spokesman William Hinkle said. “The governor will review the measure closely as it makes its way through the legislative process, but her feelings about this bill are comparable to the similar legislation that she vetoed last year.”

(Allie Morris can be reached at 369-3307 or at amorris@cmonitor.com.)