March 24, 2009 in Idaho

Martial-law gun rights bill passes Idaho House

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Rep. Pete Nielsen, R-Mountain Home, today persuaded the Idaho House to vote 61-9 in favor of his legislation that would prevent the government from seizing guns in cases of “extreme emergency.”

HB 229 declares that during a such states 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.

Seven comments on this story so far. Add yours!

• 

  slackwater3 on March 24 at 1:10 p.m.

  Good, because they are going to have fun if they ever try to seize people’s legally owned firearms. Something about “cold dead hands….”

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  local78 on March 24 at 2:06 p.m.

  I have to agree with the (D), we already have enough gun rights out there and its scary to think about the “public out there helping him [the governor] to maintain law and order”.

• 

  tsmith19 on March 24 at 3:41 p.m.

  Stating our inalienable rights louder is a great reminder of why this country is so great. Go Idaho!

• 

  BernieMadoffFan on March 24 at 5:23 p.m.

  People in Idaho are starving but guns are the legislature’s first priority. The NRA militants run Idaho and the average citizen comes in second place.

• 

  jmeckel on March 25 at 1:55 p.m.

  Dear BernieMadoffFan
  I hope Bernie got all your money. Because if he didn’t and someone came into your home threatened you and your family I will be the first person to tell you I hope you have protection in your home. This is a matter of if law-abiding sitizens don’t have the guns, then only the criminals will

• 

  JDurante on March 26 at 11:24 a.m.

  +It’s too bad we need to make a law that our constitution already gives us. People wake up read our constitution. Study it we are slowly loosing it.

• 

  ecocks on October 17 at 11:44 p.m.

  How did this turn out? Senate pass it or kill it?

  Great idea and a shame if it didn’t pass after the farce in Louisiana.