Eye On Boise

Martial law gun-rights bill passes House

March 24, 2009 11:10 a.m. • 69 comments

Rep. Pete Nielsen, R-Mountain Home, today persuaded the House to vote 61-9 in favor of his legislation, HB 229, to declare that during a state of “extreme emergency” including martial law, invasion or insurrection, “No government authority will have the right to come and pick up our arms and ammunition.” Rep. Grant Burgoyne, D-Boise, spoke against the bill, saying no one ever expects to see an invasion or a declaration by the governor of martial law, but no one expected to see planes crashing into the World Trade Center either. “We’re meddling here with one of the most fundamental and necessary powers, and I think we need to be very careful how we do that,” he told the House. Nielsen responded, “I don’t see where we’re limiting the governor at all. In fact, I think it even helps him to know that he’s got the public out there in helping him to maintain law and order.” The bill passed, and now heads to the Senate.

69 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

thomg57 on March 24 at 1:03 p.m.
Does these legislators sit up all night and worry about this crap? how about doing something proactive and constructive for a change.
scootermom on March 24 at 1:46 p.m.
Focus, people, focus.

If this is all you have to offer, I strongly suggest you go home. The longer the session, the more mischief they get into.
buffalokill on March 24 at 1:52 p.m.
If you do not think this bill is important, you are not paying attention. - http://is.gd/mDoP

Good for Idaho for passing this bill. But we’re still faced with the problem of the fed. govt. not caring about state’s rights, or people’s rights.

The federal agents in New Orleans during Katrina were just a bunch of thugs above the law, remeniscient of the govt thugs at ruby ridge. - http://is.gd/oM2V
BeerSaint on March 24 at 2:26 p.m.
Anyone who thinks this bill is trivial speaks in the “sheep vernacular.” Open your freaking eyes and read your history people. We are inching closer and closer to a place most Americans don’t want to be. Weapons confiscation is an old trick used by every dictator in our modern time.

Granted, if you are anti-gun this bill would indeed be needless. The Federal government isn’t worried about you patsies. The Feds are concerned about people who actually utilize their Constitutional right to defend themselves. The Feds are uncomfortable with a armed citizenry… just the way our Founders intended.

Cheers!
thomg57 on March 24 at 2:33 p.m.
So, boys, that’s the only choices, sheep or anti-gun? Can you both at least try to argue logically and not just utilize knee-jerk fear and paranoia? it would help your cause enormously. So, I carry whenever i leave my house, but i think this bill needless pandering to the NRA, which of your little boxes do you want to put me in?
scootermom on March 24 at 2:38 p.m.
I am paying attention, and have been for many years.

Yup. This bill is stil stupid.
BeerSaint on March 24 at 2:41 p.m.
Haha… would love your expiation. Or is that not how you roll?
BeerSaint on March 24 at 2:46 p.m.
Needless pandering to the NRA? No. Regular joe blows like us have been pressing for Constitutional reminders to the Feds for quite some time now. How is this pandering to special interest when it could help ensure the rights of all Idaho State citizens?
BeerSaint on March 24 at 2:48 p.m.
Also, understanding history and preparing for tyranny is not knee-jerk fear and paranoia. It’s called “awareness.”
Lisa on March 24 at 2:55 p.m.
OK somebody want to explain the purpose of the Idaho National Guard in an “Extreme Emergency”? or Invasion of Idaho?. ThomG is right…Gun Nut Paranoia, now comes all the extremists. white supremacists, Idaho will be such a fabulous to live. A lot of Idahoans need to get back on their medications.
buffalokill on March 24 at 3:10 p.m.
@ThomG - It is neither fear nor paranoia when it is happening all around us.

This bill is telling law abiding Americans who’re concerned about big govt. abuses, that the state of Idaho is aware of this and working for the citizens of this great state.

I honestly believe that this bill would barely be a speed bump, with the way the govt. stomps on our rights. But at least these folks are going in the right direction.

My comments are entirely logical AND supported, and as you can see with the links provided.

On the other hand, comments by the both of you around this whole site have been generally useless in nature.

“this bill is stupid” - Brilliant and thought provoking to your peers, I’m sure. But how is this bill stupid? Do you have any evidence of similar bills having “stupid results”?

“i think this bill needless pandering to the NRA” - After deciding you forgot the “is” between the words “bill” and “needless”, I have concluded that this statement is still worthless to the reader. How does a bill that grants a state citizen the right to defend themselves from home invading govt thugs have anything to do with the NRA?
buffalokill on March 24 at 3:16 p.m.
*Cue Lisa with a classic maneuver. Apply ungrounded adjectives to contestants, suggest a need for medication, and blow the issue out of proportion. Perfect.

I must know, do you take your debate tips from these guys? http://is.gd/oCx8
slfisher on March 24 at 3:20 p.m.
If the government was in a position where they were seizing guns, does anyone really think they’d be stopped by a law?
BeerSaint on March 24 at 3:31 p.m.
Hey! It’s Lisa “Im the Only One Who Has Served in the Military and Hense I Know More Than You Do”

Glad to have you back. I was worried that you may have been too embarrassed by your last comment on this blog to show your face around here again. I was sadly mistaken.

But now you come on here and put your foot in your mouth again! First you made the assumption that nobody on this blog has served, thus making you superior in intellect… but now that I ruined that one for you, PLAN B is to label us extremist, White Supremacist, gun nuts.

Niiiiice.

I wonder why it is that when someone shows concern for abuses to the Constitution they are labeled a extremist White Supremacist? One can only conclude that this reaction comes from some sort of fear of any contrary opinion. I wish to say that having a different opinion than yours does not constitute being part of any White Supremacy groups in North Idaho. I know. Super shocking.

May I also bring to your attention the abuses of the Constitution by local law enforcement and Army units in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. They ILLEGALLY took weapons and left folks defenseless. So honestly, your argument that we are “Paranoids” is completely false. Disarming the Citizenry has happened on both small and large scales… history shows this. People who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Thank God there are good men and women in uniform who recognize this threat are are willing to stand against illegal orders. The Oath Keepers http://oath-keepers.blogspot.com/

Cheers!
scootermom on March 24 at 3:51 p.m.
Beer Saint,

We tend to think for ourselves, and we are not impressed by your links to wingnut websites.

Go bully someone else.

Cheers!
BeerSaint on March 24 at 3:57 p.m.
@Scootermom

Does thinking for yourself translate into not having anything constructive to say? Because all you have done is called me a bunch of names for having an opposing view. You have not even attempted to support your ideas with anything.

I am sorry if you felt bullied. That wasn’t my intention… but honestly, do you have any rebuttal to what I am saying beside calling me a “wingnut”?

Double Cheers!
thomg57 on March 24 at 3:58 p.m.
Links to YouTube videos are proof? You’re kidding, right?
BeerSaint on March 24 at 4:00 p.m.
PS… honestly you can call me any names you want… it doesn’t bother me. But calling that website I linked to of military servicemen and women “Wingnuts” is nasty and out of bounds.
BeerSaint on March 24 at 4:04 p.m.
@ThomG

I never linked to any Youtube video. I linked to a website that was formed by Active Duty Military and Peace Officers who pledge to defend their Oaths to defend the Constitution. It was really just a side bar.

I guess you are referring to Buffalokills link that was done in jest and not in support for any of the arguments made. I am having a hard time understanding ya’lls motive here honestly.
buffalokill on March 24 at 4:28 p.m.
@ThomG - Dismissing legitimate news source videos because they are hosted on youtube? You’re kidding, right?
buffalokill on March 24 at 4:37 p.m.
As of yet, none of you have been able to provide support for your statements. I’ll just have to dismiss you as ignorant of the facts, and without a leg to stand on in any intelligent discussion.

Casting pearls to swine is not a favorite past time for me, and at this point I can only let you wallow in your ignorance. I’ll sign off with a quote from the patriot Samuel Adams.

“If you love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home and leave us in peace. We seek not your council, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.”
thomg57 on March 24 at 5:44 p.m.
ROTFLMAO!
Lisa on March 24 at 7:04 p.m.
Meds Boys Meds…get on them maybe the paranoia will subside before the black helicopters appear.
Bolton on March 25 at 1:18 a.m.
@ Lisa

Being in the U.S. Army National Guard (HHC 145th support battalion) I feel inclined to inform you that we do not have the numbers to secure an entire city in other words better you hold onto your arms and keep the people willing to defend you off meds because meds make for a shoddy warrior. In the event of a natural disaster/attack if we disarmed the populace they would be in far more danger than had they kept thier arms. May the record show that statistics have proven this, you look it up im not going to bother doing so again. My point being… its never a bad idea to expect the unexpected and to have taken the measures to at least legally insure the safety of the populace.
craftsman12 on March 26 at 10:35 a.m.
I live out in the country so does my brother and his family most all our friends also every home has guns for food and protection adults to children wen 12 go through hunter saftey ill bet gov otter wouldnot be supriesed to see howmany idaho’s people would be standing right beside him in protecting him and the rights of idaho oh and their still some peopel dont lock thier doors at night out hear we dont have to idaho is still great we dont want to loos that nor our rights we supprt this bill 100%
BeerSaint on March 27 at 10:43 a.m.
I could have called it. When folks have no real intelligent debate they make comments like:

ThomG on March 24 at 5:44 p.m.
“ROTFLMAO!”

AND

Lisa on March 24 at 7:04 p.m.
“Meds Boys Meds…get on them maybe the paranoia will subside before the black helicopters appear.”

haha…
buffalokill on March 28 at 1:01 p.m.
@Beer Saint, I just heard that ThomG is head of the Kootenai Democrats. Can this be a sad truth? ROTFLMAO OMG IDK BBQ
thomg57 on March 28 at 7:46 p.m.
buffalo boy, yep, a proud gun toting Democrat!
hmoffsuite on March 28 at 7:55 p.m.
Most democrats are hypocrites, fwiw. Preach one thing, do another. Spend money as long as it isn’t their own.
thomg57 on March 29 at 10:14 a.m.
I had held out hope that baseless, ignorant comments wouldn’t spill over to this site; guess it was too much to wish for.
hmoffsuite on March 29 at 3:31 p.m.
Thom. Not a problem, as I won’t be here much. What is Al Gore’s carbon footprint, btw?
BeerSaint on March 29 at 4:47 p.m.
Its a sad day when the head of the Kootenai Democrats can’t even engage in intelligent debate… Maybe this could be a clue as to why they elect morons.
thomg57 on March 29 at 9:48 p.m.
BS, Intelligent debate is impossible when it is one-sided, I’ll wait for the other side to find someone. As to electing morons (glad you can keep this intelligent ;-) see: Harwood, Nielsen, et. al.
Sisyphus on March 30 at 10:27 a.m.
Hey hmoff, most Republican day traders are non-thinking sycophants who only know how to regurgitate their lord and master Rush without reflecting how that may make them appear. And the prime example is you using fiscal conservatism as emblematic of Democratic hypocrisy. Look in a mirror. And its clear that after three weeks you still haven’t looked up the paradox of thrift, or if you have, you don’t get it, which would hardly be surprising.

And here’s where hmoff comes out and whines about how he’s mistreated for only expressing his opinion. Well buddy, the opinion is only as good as the person expressing it. Don’t knock it, its a good defense, since you rarely express something original.

Thom and Scootermom, you are quite the souls for attempting to shed light where all is dark. Interesting how vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and grammar skills are wanting by the proponents here. But even more hilarious is the naivete of resorting to passing a law that will be the first one suspended when martial law is declared. But they do raise and illustrate a disturbing point. Can you imagine relying on this lot for protection in a crisis.

I recommend y’all go read Korematsu v. U.S. to get a better understanding of how fragile your right are in times of war. Your government will even toss the constitution. Then read up on the mission statement of the ACLU on how to protect them cause the NRA ain’t doing jack but spreading fear and paranoia to get idiots to buy more guns. What a racket.
hmoffsuite on March 30 at 11:28 a.m.
Sis. I just love it when all that liberal anger rises to the surface.