{"data":{"id":"us-nh/rsa-631-4","jurisdiction":"us-nh","citation":"RSA 631:4","heading":"Criminal Threatening.","body":"I. A person is guilty of criminal threatening when:\n(a) By physical conduct, the person purposely places or attempts to place another in fear of imminent bodily injury or physical contact; or\n(b) The person places any object or graffiti on the property of another with a purpose to coerce or terrorize any person; or\n(c) The person threatens to commit any crime against the property of another with a purpose to coerce or terrorize any person; or\n(d) The person threatens to commit any crime against the person of another with a purpose to terrorize any person; or\n(e) The person threatens to commit any crime of violence, or threatens the delivery or use of a biological or chemical substance, with a purpose to cause evacuation of a building, place of assembly, facility of public transportation or otherwise to cause serious public inconvenience, or in reckless disregard of causing such fear, terror or inconvenience; or\n(f) The person delivers, threatens to deliver, or causes the delivery of any substance the actor knows could be perceived as a biological or chemical substance, to another person with the purpose of causing fear or terror, or in reckless disregard of causing such fear or terror.\nII. (a) Criminal threatening is a class B felony if the person:\n(1) Violates the provisions of subparagraph I(e); or\n(2) Uses a deadly weapon as defined in RSA 625:11, V in the violation of the provisions of subparagraph I(a), I(b), I(c), or I(d).\n(b) All other criminal threatening is a misdemeanor.\nIII. (a) As used in this section, \"property\" has the same meaning as in RSA 637:2, I; \"property of another\" has the same meaning as in RSA 637:2, IV.\n(b) As used in this section, \"terrorize\" means to cause alarm, fright, or dread; the state of mind induced by the apprehension of hurt from some hostile or threatening event or manifestation.\nIV. A person who responds to a threat which would be considered by a reasonable person as likely to cause serious bodily injury or death to the person or to another by displaying a firearm or other means of self-defense with the intent to warn away the person making the threat shall not have committed a criminal act under this section.","path":["Title LXII: CRIMINAL CODE","Chapter 631: ASSAULT AND RELATED OFFENSES"],"source_url":"https://gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/LXII/631/631-4.htm","current_through":"2025 regular legislative session, or December 2025","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T17:28:07Z","sha256":"9a5e9d63972ad5344013b0644c3e7f1df210981c2ba21d3274b7a96843500aa4","source_id":"us-nh","stale":false,"prev":"us-nh/rsa-631-3-a","next":"us-nh/rsa-631-4-a"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}