If you want to carry a concealed firearm anywhere outside of your privately owned property in the state of Idaho you have to complete a four hour firearms training course and receive a concealed carry permit. Some lawmakers in the state want to change that, however, and they have introduced a new “Constitutional Carry” bill that would make it easier for residents to carry concealed firearms. The bill would allow citizens to carry a concealed firearm without a permit. Supporters are citing the second amendment as justification for the bill.
“The second amendment is our concealed carry permit,” Greg Pruett, founder of the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance, recently told Idaho’s ABC 6. Pruett adds that open carry without a permit is already legal and the state and that this new bill is just expanding on that. “All we’re doing is saying, ‘Hey, concealed carry ought to be the same,'” he said.
But while the bill is certainly garnering quite a bit of support from gun rights advocates, not everyone is on board. In fact, some law officers in the state are standing up against the new bill. Pocatello Police Chief Scott Marchand recently told the Idaho State Journal that the idea of unrestricted concealed carry in the state scares him, adding his belief that it would make his job as a police officer a lot tougher. Bannock County Sheriff Lorin Nielsen agrees, saying that he likes being able to run background checks on potential concealed carriers to see if they have a criminal background.
Also criticizing the bill is Sam Clark, who teaches firearms safety and training in the state. “I’m all in favor of people having the right to carry, but they shouldn’t be doing it without knowing how to do it safely,” he said. He says that carrying a firearm is a huge responsibility and that people should be more informed before they carry.
Meanwhile, lawmakers in the state of South Dakota are pushing a similar bill and a state legislative panel recently approved the plans. Much like in Idaho, unrestricted open carry is already legal in South Dakota but a permit is required to carry concealed.
Currently, the states of Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Vermont and Wyoming are the only states that allow citizens to carry concealed firearms without a permit.
