‘Comprehensive rewrite’ of Idaho’s concealed-carry laws in the works

House and Senate Republicans who are working on gun legislation this year said at a press conference today that a comprehensive bill rewriting Idaho’s concealed-gun permit laws is in the works and likely will be introduced in a House committee next week. It will include eliminating the current special exemption that allows elected officials to carry concealed guns without a permit; allowing concealed weapons to be carried without a permit outside city limits, whether or not one is engaged in hunting or another outdoor activity; and other changes designed to clean up and streamline the law and make it more clear both for citizens and for law enforcement.

Asked how it’ll differ from legislation introduced earlier by Sen. Marv Hagedorn, R-Meridian, Sen. Curt McKenzie, R-Nampa, said, “That I think was an earlier version of a lot of things that are in this bill, but this is a more comprehensive rewrite.” Rep. Judy Boyle, R-Midvale, said the new bill will include “repeal of that code and a rewrite.”

House State Affairs Chairman Tom Loertscher, R-Iona, said the controversial bill to do away with Idaho’s concealed-carry permits, the so-called “constitutional carry” bill, HB 89, was “a very poorly written piece of legislation,” that “would potentially undo everything that Idaho has accomplished in our concealed weapons arena.” It also contained unworkable wording, he said. “That’s the reason why that is not going anywhere this year. Certainly the broader goal is that we don’t do anything in this particular area of law that makes things worse for those who desire to carry weapons.”

Rep. Rick Youngblood, R-Nampa, said Idaho just achieved “reciprocity” with the state of Washington for its concealed-weapons permit laws in the fall, largely because of the state’s relatively new “enhanced concealed carry” permit, an optional process that allows gun owners to qualify with a higher level of training that’s recognized by more states. He said that’s important for Idaho permit holders who want to be able to carry their concealed weapons in a neighboring state. Alaska passed a permitless concealed-carry law and lost its reciprocity with Washington, he said.

Boyle said, “That’s not to say we’re not going to try a bill on permitless carry, but it has to be written properly.” And that’s not the focus of the forthcoming bill, she said.

House Speaker Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, said, “In Idaho we’re very pro-2 ^nd Amendment. This section of code is difficult to read, because it’s been amended and recodified and codified. … It leads to confusion.” He called the forthcoming bill “a major cleanup.”