Senate State Affairs passes permitless carry gun bill, 6-3

The Senate State Affairs Committee has passed SB 1389 , the permitless concealed-carry bill, on a 6-3 votes. The three “no” votes came from Sens. Michelle Stennett, D-Ketchum; Cherie Buckner-Webb, D-Boise; and Bart Davis, R-Idaho Falls. After vote, Davis declined to discuss it, saying, “I’d rather not talk about this issue.” His 23-year-old son was shot and killed at a college party in 2003 by another student who had been drinking and had a gun.

The “yes” votes came from Sens. Curt McKenzie, R-Nampa; Patti Anne Lodge, R-Huston; Brent Hill, R-Rexburg; Chuck Winder, R-Boise; Jeff Siddoway, R-Terreton; and Todd Lakey, R-Nampa. The bill now moves to the full Senate.

Twenty-three people testified at this morning’s hearing; eight of them opposed the bill, 14 were in favor, and one supported the concept but raised concerns about how the bill was written. That was the final person to testify, attorney True Pearce, who said, “I don’t think that it does what most Idahoans think it would do and I don’t think it’s written clearly.” Pierce, who said he’s a professional shooter, said federal law makes it a crime to carry a gun within 1,000 feet of a school. “Having a permit exempts you from the federal law – that is the key,” he said. “It’s why we haven’t done this in the past.” He said the bill as written invites Idahoans to carry concealed weapons within 1,000 feet of a school and risk a federal prison term and loss of their gun rights for life. He also raised concerns about losing reciprocity with other states for concealed-carry permits.

Prior to his comments, Fred Woodbridge, who was born in Africa to American parents and grew up in Nigeria, gave heartfelt testimony in favor of the bill. “I grew up in a country where only three classes of people were armed:  The military, the rich, and of course the criminal element,” he said. He shared the story of how armed soldiers broke into his home and held his family at gunpoint. “The United States is a beacon of freedom, one that I cherish to the core of my being,” Woodbridge said, “and that freedom largely comes from an armed populace that can decide its own governance, but more, can back up that decision with force of arms if necessary. … Any step you take to preserve this is a step in the right direction.”