The Idaho Second Amendment Alliance (ISAA) concluded a five city speaking tour of the state on Saturday, October 3rd at the Coeur d’Alene City Park with a large crowd of Second Amendment supporters who wish to see the organization’s push to get ‘Permitless Carry’ which is often called ‘Constitutional Carry’ signed into law in Idaho.
ISAA President Greg Pruett
A crowd of close to 300 assembled to hear speakers: Greg Pruett, president of ISAA, Heather Scott, State Representative for District 1 from Blanchard, Matt Shea, Washington State Representative for District 4 from Spokane Valley and Dan McDonald, a Radio talk show host and commercial roofing consultant who spoke for constitutional Sheriff Daryl Wheeler-Bonner County.
After a delightful opening greeting to the crowd, 9 year old actor and founder of ‘Protect My Idaho,’ Ryan Durbin who gave the invocation and lead the Pledge of Allegiance, then introduced ISAA President Greg Pruett.
 Actor Ryan Durbin |
 ID Rep. Heather Scott |
 WA Rep. Matt Shea |
 Talk Show Host Dan McDonald |
Pruett opened with pointing out that President Obama recently mentioned in a recent speech that there are two countries that the U.S. should be modeled after, and they are Great Britain and Australia. Both countries had their guns confiscated.
Greg Pruett: “It is not a conspiracy. President Obama is coming. He has made it clear on BBC that his biggest frustration as President has been his inability to take away your guns.
“Michael Bloomberg has passed firearms regulations in Washington and Oregon and he has made it clear that Idaho is on his target list. That’s not right. If he thinks he can get his legislation passed, that means we are not being loud enough about not wanting Michael Bloomberg in the state of Idaho.
“This is our chance, this is our time; we have got to make it here in Idaho. I’m sick and tired of seeing these other states being more successful than us. We need people to lead, we need law enforcement, state officials, city and county officials to get out and lead in protecting our 2nd Amendment.
“The 2nd Amendment is our first and last line of defense against tyranny and we need to keep it that way.”
Currently, seven states, Arizona, Wyoming, Kansas, Maine, Vermont, Alaska and Oklahoma have Constitutional Carry laws, and Pruett has stated that other conservative states are passing pro-gun legislation while Idaho is lagging behind.
Washington State Representative Matt Shea roused the audience with some facts and quotes: “Our God given unalienable rights to bear arms is being attacked almost everywhere we go. The words in Washington’s Constitution ‘shall not be impaired’ and in Idaho’s Constitution ‘shall not be abridged’; those words mean what they say. The fact that we’re even having a discussion about exercising our God given unalienable right is ridiculous to me.”
Rep. Shea then read a couple quotes since he says the media tries to say that this stuff doesn’t exist. He first quoted from founding father Tench Coxe in 1788, “Congress has no power to disarm the militia, their swords and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birthright of an American. The unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of the federal or the state governments, but where I trust in God, it will forever remain in the hands of the people.”
Then from Thomas Jefferson, Shea quoted, “A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. It gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with a ball and others of that nature are too violent to the body. The gun therefore, should be the constant companion of your walks.”
Shea continued, “The media has been intense in changing that narrative of the founding fathers and I believe the media has been implicit in lying about guns and gun free zones. I want to be very clear about this. Since 1950, every mass shooting of three or more people with one exception has been in a gun free zone.”
Radio talk show host Dan McDonald read a statement from Bonner County (constitutional) Sheriff Daryl Wheeler, who couldn’t attend due to a previous long standing commitment, “I personally believe that persons carrying concealed weapons without permits do not create a threat to peace. Why? Police are already trained to assume that everyone they contact is armed. Constitutional Carry is not going to change our tactics.”
Representative Heather Scott said after the rally, “It was encouraging to see so many patriots show up in support of our 2nd amendment rights and Constitutional Carry. I look forward to working with the Idaho Sheriffs’ Association and other like-minded groups to finalize the language of this new legislation and get it passed this session!”
Click to hear ‘Protect My Idaho’ presentation.
Greg Pruett stated after the Coeur d’Alene event, “The Idaho Second Amendment Alliance has completed a successful tour of the State of Idaho in support of Constitutional Carry. We are pleased that hundreds of citizens across the state showed up to show their support for this great cause. We felt the anxiety and frustration of the citizenry that Idaho has not yet acted on this important issue. When the State of Maine beats Idaho to passing real pro-gun legislation we know that we have a lot of work to do. We need Idahoans to stand up and take action. You can no longer sit on the sides and wait. Please contact your legislators immediately and politely ask them to support Constitutional Carry in Idaho.”
