Gun Rights For Idaho

For years, anti-gun and anti-NRA legislators use the emotions around mass shootings to try and restrict Second Amendment gun rights of Americans. But for millions of Americans, there is a clear constitutional doctrine at work—the Bill of Rights. Under the Bill of Rights your freedoms are codified and sacrosanct. They are inherent and gifted by God; the government has no domain over these rights. The right to firearms and self defense is one of these inherent qualities.

In Idaho, Second Amendment Advocates and the Idaho Legislature have fended off repeated attempts to introduce universal background checks, institute red flag laws, and ban assault-style weapons. Today, the Biden Administration is aggressively pushing an anti-gun agenda – twisting history and threatening military force against Americans to make their case. A government that threatens the lives of its citizens is exactly what the Founding Fathers had the foresight to ensure, with the creation of the Second Amendment, that American citizens were never left without the means to defend themselves against a tyrannical government.

Firearm ownership and use for recreation and personal defense have long been an integral part of Idaho’s culture. It’s a way of life! Law-abiding Idahoan gun owners associate with an active social gun culture–family and friends own guns and participate in social activities that involve guns. The federal government is wanting to legislate the law-abiding gun owner instead of going after the criminal element. Statistics show that Idaho is 3rd in the nation with the most gun ownership rate, yet Idaho’s firearm homicide rate is one of the lowest at 18 deaths in 2019 or 7% of total gun violence—so low that it’s considered statistically unreliable. Yet states with the strictest gun laws have the highest rates of firearm homicides – Illinois (58%), New York (41%), and DC (91%). Why is that? Across the nation the gun industry is being legislated out of business. Yet it doesn’t do much to lower firearm homicide deaths. As Clint Goss, a retired Pocatello police officer puts it. “You can’t legislate bad people by punishing good people. That’s not how it works. And if people who are law-abiding gun owners are good people, then you can’t restrict them and have that fix a problem they’re not part of.”

When it comes to guns, the Second Amendment is clear–the right of the people to keep and bear Arms–SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED!

Read on to find out how you can spread the word.

• Between 2008 and 2020, Republican-led legislature has passed over 30 laws to strengthen and protect Idahoans’ firearm rights. Download a list of Idaho State Legislature: Firearm Legislation here.

Some of the more important ones are:

• There is no permit required for the purchase of any rifle, shotgun, or handgun.
• Idaho has no law requiring the retention of sales records or background check records.
• Idaho is an “open carry” state. Allowing citizens of the state of Idaho to carry firearms, concealed or openly, without permit, in public.
• lowered the age limit on constitutional carry from 21 to 18 years of age.
• State preemption of firearms laws: local units of government cannot regulate the ownership, possession, use, transportation, or carry of firearms, firearm components or ammunition
• HB 69 – which declares certain gun control to be unconstitutional and makes it unlawful for any state assets to go toward the enforcement of federal gun laws.
• SB 1313 – Castle Doctrine/Stand Your Ground Law:  giving citizens the right to use deadly force to defend against deadly force, great bodily harm, rape or kidnapping in personal property, workplace, home, and car without duty to retreat.

• With the passage of SB 1313, Castle Doctrine/Stand Your Ground, one of the premier firearms magazines, Guns and Ammo, moved Idaho’s gun friendly status to No. 2 in the nation.
• Idaho ranks 3rd in the nation in gun ownership rate with 60% of adults owning a gun.

• In 2014, then-Gov. Butch Otter signed Senate Bill 1332, the Idaho Federal Firearms, Magazine and Register Ban Enforcement Act, into law. The bill passed the Idaho House 68-0 and the Idaho Senate 34-0. SB 1332 was meant to protect Idaho law enforcement officers from being forced to violate their oath to uphold Idaho’s Constitution. This is the first Second Amendment Sanctuary Act in Idaho 

• In 2021, Senate Bill 1205, the Idaho Firearm and Firearm Accessories and Components Act was signed into law by Gov. Brad Little. SB 1205 prevents the enforcement of new federal actions regarding firearms, firearm accessories and components. It goes further than SB 1332 by declaring that the right to keep and bear arms is necessary to the safety and security of the State of Idaho and its citizens, is essential to its citizens’ fundamental right of self-defense, and is a right that may not be unconstitutionally infringed by the United States, the State of Idaho, Idaho political subdivisions, or local government agencies. The State of Idaho retains the power to protect the fundamental rights of its citizens to any degree greater than is protected by the United States Constitution.

• The signing into law of SB 1205, makes Idaho a Second Amendment Sanctuary State. Read more about SAS here.

• Idaho law enforcement officers are partners with Idaho citizens in protecting the rights as outlined in both the United States Constitution and the Constitution of the State of Idaho.

• As a Second Amendment Sanctuary, any state or federal laws thought to infringe on a person’s right to bear arms will not be enforced in said state, city, or county.

• In 2021, there are over 1,200 SAS cities and counties across 37 states in America and a growing list of Sanctuary States – Arizona, Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, North Dakota and Wyoming.

Source: American Police Officers Alliance

• Idaho ranked 1st in most gun industry jobs per capita and highest total gun industry output per capita due to Idaho’s firearm-friendly culture and policies.

Source: https://wallethub.com/edu/states-most-dependent-on-the-gun-industry/18719

• Idaho ranked 10th in gun prevalence (determined by gun ownership rates, gun sales per 1,000 residents, gun ads for private buying and selling and Google search interest in gun sales).

Source: https://wallethub.com/edu/states-most-dependent-on-the-gun-industry/18719

• Idaho ranked 3rd in  gun politics (contributions to members of Congress from gun control and gun rights groups and also the average National Rifle Association-Political Victory Fund score of U.S. senators).

Source: https://wallethub.com/edu/states-most-dependent-on-the-gun-industry/18719

• There are numerous Idaho companies involved in the firearms industry. Idaho companies manufacture everything from optics to ammunition, firearms, parts, and pieces. Idahoans love guns, the Second Amendment is very important to Idahoans and the low cost of living in Idaho are reasons a lot of gun-related businesses are drawn to the Gem State.
• Firearm ownership and use for recreation and personal defense have long been an integral part of Idaho’s culture.   

• A study done and reported by IP-Online First was first to establish evidence of the co-occurring relationship between social gun culture and gun ownership. “Although notions of protection of one’s family and property originally justified gun ownership, gun ownership is today sustained in public consciousness much more through calls to constitutionally enshrined social values, reinforced intermittently by outrage at efforts to limit widespread gun availability.”

Source: Gun ownership and social gun culture Bindu Kalesan,Marcos D Villarreal, Katherine M Keyes, Sandro Galea –  IP Online First, published on June 29, 2015 as 10.1136/injuryprev-2015-041586

Additional Information:

Statistics on Homicide Deaths in Idaho based on a 10-year average.

• In 2019, 255 Idahoans died by gun violence, an average of five people every week.
• Idaho ranks 20th highest in total gun death rate in the country at 14.20 per 100,000 population.
• Firearm homicide deaths in Idaho were 7% of total gun violence deaths or 18 of 255 total gun violence deaths were firearm homicide deaths.
• Idaho’s firearm homicide rate is below 10% and considered statistically unreliable.
• 1 out of 10 gun deaths were firearm homicides.
• 67% of total homicides were caused by firearms or a rate of 2.3 per 100,000 (based on 5- year average).
• Firearm suicides In Idaho were 87% of the gun deaths.
• Idaho ranks 5th highest in firearm suicides in the nation with 223 suicide deaths or 12.25 rate per 100,000.
• ¾ of all suicides were by firearm.
• 9 out of 10 gun deaths were firearm suicides.

Source: Statistics on Homicide Deaths in Idaho from 1999-2019 published by the Education Fund to Stop Gun Violence updated as of Feb 2021.