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.”

If you believe for a second that all those in favor of concealed carry also love the idea of constitutional and open carry, think again.  The “constitutional carry” bill passed the Kansas Senate is now in the State House and is on track of being passed.  Unfortunately some police officers and concealed carry instructors oppose the bill.

Mike Yoder, who is a police officer and also a concealed carry instructor is against the bill and believes that specialized training should be required before anyone can carry a gun in public.  Ironically, Yoder and other instructors who oppose the bill claim that they strongly support the 2nd amendment.

“Every bullet that leaves that gun, just consider there’s an attorney’s name on it,” says Yoder, following with “When you pull that trigger you’re responsible for every round that leaves that barrel.”

Yoder’s concerns are quite common and popular among firearms instructors who are mostly active or retired police officers and have tight control over the gun education market.  Many states require concealed carry instructors to be military or police members, almost creating a monopoly on gun educational services.

The fate of the bill remains to be seen.