In a victory for pro-gun advocates, the Idaho legislature recently passed and the governor signed a bill to allow residents over 21 years of age to carry a concealed firearm within city limits without a permit.
The state had already allowed people over 18 to carry concealed weapons outside of town and they could carry a gun openly within the city, but the new law will now afford gun carriers the ability to strut down Main Street discreetly packing heat. The big difference with the new law is also that a permit or educational class is not required.
The bill was able to pass the Republican-controlled legislature despite opposition by public safety officials. Even though the Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter signed the bill, he expressed concern about the lack of training.
“While S1389 is consistent with the U.S. Constitution, Idaho values and our commitment to upholding our constitutional protections from government overreach, I am concerned about its lack of any provision for education and training of individuals who choose to exercise the right to concealed carry,” the Republican lawmaker wrote, according to MSNBC. “Such a safeguard would seem to be part of the Second Amendment’s ‘well-regulated’ standard. What’s more, the addition of a simple training requirement in this bill could have addressed the concerns of our valued law enforcement leaders and others who cherish both the shooting culture and the safety of shooters and non-shooters alike.”
In passing the law, Idaho strengthened its permitless concealed carry position similar to that of seven other states, including West Virginia which recently passed a similar provision.
Taking the argument a step further, gun rights advocates are currently petitioning the Republican National Committee to allow firearms at its upcoming convention this year in St. Louis. So far 42,000 people had signed the petition, though some of them — including the originator — may have been tongue-in-cheek.
“As the National Rifle Association has made clear, ‘gun-free zones’ such as the Quicken Loans Arena are ‘the worst and most dangerous of all lies.'” the petition states. “The NRA, our leading defender of gun rights, has also correctly pointed out that “gun free zones… tell every insane killer in America… (the) safest place to inflict maximum mayhem with minimum risk.”
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