CONCORD, N.H. (AP) – A man acquitted of criminal charges after fatally shooting a fellow hunter last year has been banned from hunting in the state for 10 years.

The state Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously Thursday to revoke Steven Laro’s hunting license. He may reapply for a license after the revocation period ends.

Laro, 50, of Concord, was acquitted of negligent homicide in the January 2004 death of Robert Proulx at Corbin Park, a private game preserve in Croydon. Laro said he mistook Proulx, 58, for a boar.

During two days of hearings, his lawyer argued the fatal accident was not solely Laro’s fault. The state questioned Laro’s competency to handle a gun, pointing out he acknowledged being unprepared on the morning of the shooting.

In the end, commissioners agreed Laro – a former police officer and FBI-trained firearms instructor – didn’t properly identify his target before shooting; they also were not satisfied that Laro would not repeat his mistake.

“I didn’t hear anything in Mr. Laro’s testimony indicating that I’ve learned my lesson,”‘ said Grafton County Commissioner Sharon Guaraldi.

Laro said he did not check for Proulx – who was walking nearby – before firing.

Widow Susan Proulx broke down as the commission made its decision, burying her face in the camouflage jacket her husband was wearing the day he was killed.

Laro had no comment after the ruling, but lawyer Paul Maggiotto said Laro may appeal to the state Supreme Court. Maggiotto has maintained the commission used to wrong law to pursue Laro.

Proulx asked Fish and Game Executive Director Lee Perry to revoke Laro’s license after he was acquitted last December; under state law, Laro automatically would have lost his lifetime hunting license had he been convicted.

Commissioners considered the Laro matter under another law, which allows them to deny a hunting license to anyone deemed “physically or mentally an improper or incompetent person to carry firearms, or is handling firearms improperly.”

But Maggiotto said that law applies to people with severe mental or physical disabilities, not Laro.

“This is an end-around,” Maggiotto said, adding that none of the evidence presented during the hearing indicated Laro had a history of handling guns improperly. “What I think the commission should do is go back to Legislature and change the statute” on convictions, he said.

Laro fought to control his emotions during questioning by commissioners and assistant Attorney General Peter Roth. He said he has not hunted since Proulx’s death but would not rule it out.

“I have no desire to be hunting,” Laro said on Thursday. “Someday I may want to hunt again, I don’t know.”

Laro had a new rifle the day of the shooting, one he had bought from Proulx, who ran a sport and taxidermy shop in Manchester. Laro has never denied being responsible for Proulx’s death.

Asked what advice – from his experience – he would give hunters today, Laro said repeatedly, “Don’t ever say it’s not going to happen to you.”

In fact, Fish and Game data shows hunting fatalities rarely happen in New Hampshire and have declined steadily for more than 40 years. Six fatalities were reported in 1960, when the department began tracking hunting incidents. The number of fatal and nonfatal incidents, already low, fell again after hunter education classes became mandatory in 1977. No hunting deaths were reported between 1993 and 2000.

New Hampshire also has seen few cases where hunters involved in fatal accidents sought to keep their licenses. Last November, a Francestown man involved in a 1992 hunting death was denied a hunting license, but allowed to apply for an archery hunting permit. Fish and Game Executive Director Lee Perry said John Hardwick, who mistook another hunter for deer, was “not suitable” to carry a gun.

The Fish and Game Department says nearly 80,000 people hunt in New Hampshire each year, bringing in $71 million and providing more than 1,400 jobs.