Bill will expand Idaho concealed-carry law to non-residents

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Visitors to Idaho 18 and older who can legally possess firearms would be allowed to carry a concealed handgun within city limits under legislation that headed to the House on Monday.

The House State Affairs Committee voted 11-3 to approve the bill brought forward by Republican Rep. Christy Zito. Republicans on the committee backed the measure while all the Democrats voted against it.

Idaho residents 18 and older are allowed to carry a concealed handgun within city limits in Idaho without a permit or training following a new law that went into place last summer. The legislation would extend that to any legal resident of the United States or a U.S. armed services member.

Zito said the legislation is intended to clear up confusion about state gun laws and is also a Second Amendment right. Backers also say it will give people the ability to defend themselves if needed.

"I stand here before you today as a mother and grandmother who has had to use a firearm to defend their child," Zito told lawmakers on the committee, of which she is a member. She said two men approached her vehicle with her daughter inside.

"Even though I didn't have to pull the trigger, just the fact that they could see it, and they knew that I had it, was the determining factor," she said.

Opponents say allowing teenagers to carry a concealed weapon without any required training within city limits is a bad idea and could lead to shootings. If the bill becomes law, Idaho would be among a handful of states that allow that type of concealed carry.

"The vast majority of states require that a person get a permit before carrying a concealed gun in public," said Diana David of Moms Demand Action, an organization that seeks public safety measures to protect people from gun violence. "That's a common-sense policy."

Charles Nielsen spoke to the committee with his 11-year-old granddaughter, Bailey Nielsen, who carried an AR-15 that he told lawmakers was loaded. He said his granddaughter was an example of someone who knew how to responsibly carry a firearm. He also said he has sons in the military.

"When they come to Idaho, they should be able to carry concealed, because they carry responsibly," he said. "They're law-abiding citizens. It's the criminal we have to worry about."