Posted on 03/07/2015 4:01:24 PM PST by Domandred
Constitutional Carry is currently available in five States. Fourteen States have active legislation pending to move the State to a Constitutional Carry model, including Maine, New Hampshire and Colorado. Idaho’s legislation (HB89) has been blocked and declared dead by an ad-hoc secret committee.
This ad-hoc secret committee has no published members, no scheduled meetings, and no public hearings on bills being voted on. This committee has handles all bills introduced that cover firearms in the State of Idaho. It is rumored it is a joint House and Senate committee.
Idaho’s multiple concealed carry levels
Idaho currently has multiple levels of legal concealed carry. There is the basic Concealed Weapons License, the Enhanced Concealed Weapons License, elected officials can concealed carry without any permit, and finally permitless concealed carry outside city limits while participating in lawful outdoor shooting activities (hunting and target shooting).
The Enhanced Concealed Carry License was designed for the sole purpose of allowing Idaho citizens to get reciprocity with other States including Washington and Nevada who required live fire training. Idaho’s basic permit at minimum only required a lecture class and background check to obtain. Since its inception the Enhanced Concealed Carry License has also been used to give holders extra privileges in the ability to legally carry concealed on college campuses.
Conflicting Bills
This year, through citizen action, H89 was finally introduced. This bill removes the requirement for law abiding people to have a concealed weapons permit. The basic and enhanced permits are still available for the purposes of reciprocity with other States that require a permit. H89 has one single co-sponsor, freshman representative Heather Scott (R-District 1). H89 has the support of various pro liberty groups in Idaho, as well as Gun Owners of America. In an unscientific poll taken in Eastern Idaho upwards of 70 to 80 percent supported Constitutional Carry.
Through the legislature S1090 was also introduced. This bill rewrites the current concealed carry laws to give the language better flow and definitions. The current bill is pieces and parts from various legislations over the years and S1090 attempts to fix that. It keeps the current permit system intact, but does remove the “outdoor activities” requirement for a concealed carry permit outside of city limits. The bill requires instructors of training to provide syllabus and written description of course of fire to county sheriffs on demand. Another part of this bill would add NCIS, and mental health records to the background check performed by Idaho for the basic concealed carry permits.
Several members of the Idaho Legislature have stated that the NRA helped write and is supporting S1090 and not H89. Idaho’s secret gun committee also supports S1090.
The Fight
Over the last few years a legal gun rights fight has occurred in Idaho.
In 2008 problems with combining the Idaho preemption bill with concealed weapons on college campuses brought about the supposed need for an ad-hoc gun legislation committee. In a nutshell it made concealed carry on campus illegal for all instead of legal for students (it was legal for non-students, but students faced expulsion).
The Idaho Second Amendment Alliance was formed in 2013 to move Idaho towards a Constitutional Carry State as well as a citizen’s group for gun rights in Idaho. The ISAA was told in 2013 by the Idaho Legislature that it wasn’t time for Constitutional Carry in Idaho.
That year the Idaho legislature devised the Enhanced Concealed Weapons License as a method for Idaho citizens to obtain reciprocity with several States that did not honor Idaho’s basic Concealed Weapons License. This new permit was billed as being only for reciprocity with other States and not for other purposes.
2014 finally brought concealed carry to Idaho college campuses, but only if people had the “only for reciprocity” Enhanced Concealed Weapons License. With pushback Idaho colleges made it so weapons were still banned from public venues that supported over 1000 people, meaning pretty much all public events on campus.
The Idaho legislature again told the ISAA that it wasn’t time for Constitutional Carry in Idaho.
In 2015 the ISAA dropped H89 on the Idaho House of Representatives without the okay and blessing of Speaker Scott Bedke. The bill was almost immediately given a print hearing and passed committee vote 11-4 for the bill to be printed and a full house hearing.
At this point Speaker Bedke “assigned” the bill to his ad-hoc secret committee on gun legislation. H89 was never given its full hearing. On March 5th, 2015 outside of any committee hearings, State Affairs Committee Chairman Loertscher told several members of the ISAA of H89 “I’m done with this bill. It isn’t going anywhere.”
Through the battle for Constitutional Carry several legislatures have stated that they like the training requirements of the Enhanced Concealed Weapons License and do not think just anyone should be able to concealed carry without it.
One Republican representative was quoted saying “We can carry now, just not concealed, what's the difference that's one of our privileges the nation was started with”
Conclusion
S1090 is still active legislation and appears will be passed on party lines and headed to the Governor’s desk. It is expected that Governor Otter will sign the bill into law.
As far as Constitutional Carry goes at this time it doesn’t look like the Idaho Legislature has any real interest in it and seemingly would rather do away with the basic Concealed Weapons License in favor of the Enhanced version.
Posting it here as news update on Idaho's Constitutional Carry bill that's now dead.
The establishment GOP in Idaho has grown less and less 2nd Amendment friendly over the last few years.
Idaho showing that it deserves it's lower gun friendly rating from Guns and Ammo magazine.
Thank you for the update. I have been trying to follow this, and your article explains much of what I have seen. How much of it do you think is the NRA simply not wanting anyone to accomplish much without their blessing.
I see a very similar situation in Missisippi.
However, the West Virginia bill has NRA approval, and appears to be moving forward.
Would you mind if I used this on a Gun Watch article?
No links. Just your own “trash the NRA” BS
Still wish could edit. Some formatting problems from copy/paste that I missed in the preview.
a secret legislative committee?
that sounds like the kind of non-representative tyranny King George would have loved
I would respectfully recommend that the existence of any ‘secret legislative committee’ whose members, meetings, discussions, and decisions are not open to the citizens of Idaho..........needs to be exposed, exploded and exterminated (figuratively, of course)... ASAP!
IMHO.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_laws_in_the_United_States_by_state
Really? BS? You aren’t in Idaho watching this first hand.
I think that's a lot of it right there. The NRA and the Idaho Legislature both want the credit for the work.
Could and I could provide several news article links as well as video link for the "privilege" comment. Other parts were taken from ISAA, Idaho 3%, and other group facebook posts, as well as my own witnessing.
I stood there on the steps of the capital, a couple weeks ago... and heard them speak openly about this “secret comity” And I believe it.
It needs to be exposed. Period. And so do the legislators that refuse to roll back un-constitutional laws. No one else is reporting this.
hell because they're scheming behind the American people"s back (once) again This sounds like more of Obama's / Soro's communist / NWO enabling BS. Seriously have you ever seen a more underhanded and scheming administration in your life? Not even close...
No links. Just your own “trash the NRA” BS
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If the shoe fits......
marktwain, do you have a link to any information on the situation in Mississippi?
From Mississippigunnews.com:
From the Clarion-Ledger:
The NRA did very little to block the recent law voted on in WA state that requires Fed. Fee to “transfer” your weapons. Campaigned as a sales to felons thing, but now I can’t even let my son shoot my gun.
BTW - WA state is a “shall issue” state and after a background check you can get a concealed carry license. No training, no shooting, etc.
I think the NRA is part of the Corporatist political machine in this country.
Next year Senator Pat Toomey is up for re-election here in PA after he caved into Michael Bloomberg and Chuck Schumer and supported anti-Second Amendment legislation following the Sandy Hook shooting.
ANY NRA ENDORSEMENT OF TOOMEY UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES WOULD BE PROOF OF WHAT THEY ARE REALLY ALL ABOUT, A FRONT ORGANIZATION FOR THE GOP-E....
No links. I call BS.
What is the alternative? A vote for Sestak who is sure to shred the 2A? As much as I dislike Toomey, he does not belong to a political party whose goal is confiscation.
People need to start looking at he big picture.
I think they tended to be much more a part of the establishment before 1994.
They have learned to be more attentive to what the members want since then.
But like all bureaucracies, they look after their own interests first.
Constitutional Carry Dead for '15
From the article: "The new gun bill on Monday’s agenda was hashed out by an informal group of lawmakers, including Youngblood and Reps. Judy Boyle, R-Midvale and Jason Monks, R-Meridian, who vet gun legislation."
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