Once again, we find ourselves in the midst of the Idaho legislative session. For approximately three months the Idaho legislature will debate various topics concerning our future and freedom here in the state of Idaho. One topic that is always of great interest to many Idahoans is our right to keep and bear arms.
Most Idaho gun owners would agree that Idaho has some of the best firearm laws in the country. Guns and Ammo currently ranks Idaho as the second most gun-friendly state around!
Why then does our organization, the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance, continue to seek better and faster improvements to our existing laws? Why do we fight so feverishly for Idaho’s gun owners each and every session?
The answer is simple: We know what is coming. We know what is already here.
One doesn’t have to look further than Oregon and Washington to see what the future of Idaho holds. Both of our neighbors to the west once had some of the best gun laws in the country. However, gun owners in both states are now being trampled upon by gun grabbers on a yearly basis.
In fact, my family lived in Washington state from late 2006 to early 2009. During that time Washington’s firearm laws were pretty good compared to somewhere like California, New York, or Maryland.
Now, just 10 years after we left Washington state, the gun grabbers have overrun the King County area (Seattle) and the political influence of that one county has all but destroyed the rights of the state’s gun owners. Liberal Washington voters have sent two massive gun control initiatives to the ballot box. Both passed and both were extremely unconstitutional.
The Washington legislature has been growing more and more Democrat in recent years, and now they are pushing an “assault weapons ban,” a limit on magazine capacity, and an expansion of Gun Confiscation Orders.
Oregon has seen similar results. In fact, California, Oregon, and Washington state seem to be fighting to be the worst place to live for gun owners. This is one of the primary reasons Idaho has seen such a huge influx of new people coming to our state.
With the growth Idaho is seeing however, we are also going to see an influx of people who leave their high-tax and gun-grabbing states and they’ll want to push Idaho in the same direction. They will want to come here and supplant and dilute our conservative values.
That fight is here folks.
Moms Demand Action has already mobilized in Idaho. Boise is quickly becoming to Idaho what Seattle is to Washington and what Portland is to Oregon.
The Idaho legislature is already turning more purple. Ada county saw a massive shift to the Democrats in 2018. That shift to the left is going to bring increased efforts to pass “common sense” gun control.
How many Idaho gun owners are aware that a gun control bill was defeated in 2018 by just five votes in the Idaho House of Representatives? Fortunately, gun owners with the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance worked diligently to defeat that bill! In fact, the bill’s sponsor credited the ISAA with its defeat! But the vote was far closer than most thought it was going to be because numerous Republicans voted in favor of more gun control, and you may have never even heard about it.
Despite what some lawmakers are going to claim, time is quickly running out to strengthen our laws. We don’t know how long it will be. Washington state turned in a very short amount of time. It can turn here just as quickly with the rapid growth Idaho is seeing.
That’s why our organization is so insistent on the strongest laws passing.
One would think this would be an easy issue in Idaho given the number of Republican lawmakers who will tell you they are the most pro-2nd Amendment person you know.
However, we continue to receive pushback, reluctance, and concerning answers from many of Idaho’s lawmakers. For instance, we have asked each lawmaker to sign a pledge to oppose any and all forms of Gun Confiscation Orders (Red Flag laws) in Idaho. Only 22 lawmakers of 105 were willing to go on record to oppose them.
Many legislators said they wanted to “see how the legislation was written” before committing to anything. The only way we can interpret their reticence is that they are open to confiscating weapons without due process, at least under some circumstances. That should be a major red flag for all Idaho gun owners! There shouldn’t be any form of gun confiscation laws with which Idaho lawmakers are okay with.
This year we are pushing a bill to expand Constitutional Carry in Idaho to include all law-abiding adults. This should be uncontroversial, yet it too is meeting fierce resistance in the Idaho capitol. In fact, this is the third year we have tried to push this legislation and the legislature continues to fight against it. Why?
Last year we pushed a solid Stand-Your-Ground bill that was far superior to the ineffective Senate Bill (1313) that eventually passed. Why was the much better bill (H.B. 444) laundered and sabotaged in favor of the weaker version?
Can gun owners answer that question?
The issue seems to be that certain Idaho legislators keep insisting on passing bills that are “watered down” and need fixing later on. We prefer to do it right the first time and not have to fight again down the road.
Campus Carry, Preemption, the Firearm Freedom bill, Constitutional Carry, and Stand-Your-Ground are all issues that still need to be fixed because they weren’t done properly the first time.
Again, time is running out!
Some lawmakers are going to claim that we are “causing panic for no reason.”
Try telling that to gun owners in Oregon and Washington. I have had dozens and dozens of them tell me that they “didn’t see it coming.”
We certainly see it coming! We have the chance to create a massive pro-gun group to not only stop gun control, but to pass laws that truly restore and protect our 2nd Amendment rights. We can do it right the first time!
If this interests you, please consider joining with us at www.joinisaa.com today!
