Idaho House Passes Constitutional Carry Bill

BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho House of Representatives voted 57-11 in favor of HB 301 on Tuesday. The bill purportedly “Repeals, amends and adds to existing law relating to the carrying of concealed weapons,” and removes the state requirement for a concealed-carry permit while outside the city limits.

The Idaho State Capitol in Boise

The bill includes an elected-official exemption, with less restrictions for state officials. Rep. Rick Youngblood, R-Nampa, despite voting for the bill, expressed an opposition to the exemption. “I personally call that a special privilege, one that I would not support personally. I don’t agree with any special privileges as a legislator that I might have over my constituents.”

Rep. Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, spoke out against the bill. “I think that with our personal rights do come personal responsibility. In my view, if we’re going to hide a gun, then I do feel we should have a permit to do so.” Wintrow felt it was acceptable for Idaho to limit and regulate rights granted by the US constitution, adding “…if we are going to hide it, especially in public, I think that extra safety measure of having a permit is a good thing. One, you get training. And the other thing is we can do a background check.”