CONCORD, N.H. — New Hampshire’s gun laws are likely to be the center of debate next week as Gov. Maggie Hassan takes action on a bill that would make it easier for people to carry concealed guns. She has said she’ll veto it.

The legislation passed the Republican-led Legislature this year and landed on Hassan’s desk this week, giving her five days to act.

A veto is sure to draw fire from pro-gun groups that have been rallying support for the bill. Together, the New Hampshire Firearms Coalition and Women’s Defense League organized the delivery of more than 1,500 petitions in support of the bill to Hassan’s desk, Republican state Rep. J.R. Hoell said. But Hassan has also received thousands of communications from people seeking a veto, said her spokesman, William Hinkle.

Existing state law allows for anyone who can legally purchase a gun to carry it openly. But to carry a gun concealed, the person must receive a license from local law enforcement or town officials.

Supporters of the bill say it’s this discretion that makes existing law unfair because a police officer could base a denial on their own biases. They also say removing the licensing requirement will make the state safer by allowing more people to protect themselves.

“Those who are going to carry and illegally be armed aren’t going to worry about the license anyway,” said Hoell, a sponsor of the bill.

But people who want to keep the licensing requirement say it’s a necessary layer of protection.

“We currently have in place a line of defenses that helps ensure dangerous people are not carrying guns on New Hampshire streets,” Clai Lasher-Sommers, a gun violence survivor from New Hampshire, said in a statement after the Legislature passed the bill.