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Idaho Moms to Testify Against HB243: Bill Would Allow People to Carry Concealed Guns in Public with no Permit

3.17.2015

Boise, ID – On Monday, March 16th, volunteers from the Idaho chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America will testify in opposition to House Bill 243, legislation that seeks to erode and all but entirely eliminate Idaho’s longstanding concealed carry permitting process. The bill, introduced last week in the House State Affairs committee, would dismantle the existing permitting system, effectively turning Idaho into one of the nation’s only states that allows people to carry concealed handguns in public without a permit.

“Idaho has a long proud tradition of safe concealed carry, and Idaho gun owners have consistently demonstrated their belief in the basic principle that with rights come responsibilities,” said Dolores Aragon, chapter leader of Idaho Moms Demand Action, expressed concern about the contents of the bill. “This bill would undermine that basic trust and allow potentially dangerous and untrained individuals the ability to carry in virtually every corner of the state.”

HB 243 would eliminate permitting requirements outside of city limits. U.S. Census Bureau figures consider less than 1% of the total area of the state as being within the limits of incorporated cities, HB 243 would have the effect of allowing individuals who’ve never been subject to criminal background checks or basic safety training courses to carry concealed weapons in public virtually everywhere in Idaho.

“While I definitely think elected officials and citizens should be on the same playing field as far as the permitting process, this bill just does away with the permitting process almost entirely, making it a lot easier for criminals to carry guns,” said Leslie Madsen-Brooks , a volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “We shouldn’t fix a bad law with a much worse law.”