New Senate bill would let Idahoans carry concealed guns without permit, hearing set

New legislation to allow Idahoans to carry concealed guns without a permit was introduced in the Senate State Affairs Committee today, and Chairman Curt McKenzie, R-Nampa, the bill’s lead sponsor, says it’ll have a full hearing on Monday, March 14. While noting that’s late in this year’s legislative session, McKenzie said, “The House leadership and the chair over there have signed on, so I’m not too worried.”

The bill would allow any Idahoan age 21 or over to carry a concealed weapon without a permit, if the person is not disqualified from carrying a concealed weapon for having been charged with or convicted of a felony; suffering from mental illness; being discharged from the military under dishonorable conditions; being subject to a protection order; or being on probation for a misdemeanor crime of violence.

“This is the language that we had reviewed by the NRA,” McKenzie said. “I go the language from Judy Boyle.” Boyle, R-Midvale, is among the bill’s cosponsors, as are House Speaker Scott Bedke, House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, and House State Affairs Chairman Tom Loertscher, R-Iona.

McKenzie said Idaho’s current concealed weapon permit law essentially only applies within city limits; this would allow carrying a concealed weapon without a permit within city limits, too. “In Idaho, we’ve got that very strong constitutional protection against when the government can regulate carrying of weapons,” McKenzie said. “It seems to me that it’s consistent with the policy … that we narrowly limit where the government can prohibit you from concealed carrying.”

Two previous bills aimed at the same end were introduced earlier in the session by Reps. Ron Nate, R-Rexburg, and Heather Scott, R-Blanchard; neither has gotten a hearing.