Idaho bill seeks to deter domestic abusers from owning guns

An Idaho House panel has advanced a proposal designed to prevent people with misdemeanor domestic violence convictions from owning or purchasing a gun.

The House Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee on Thursday spent several hours debating the measure before agreeing to send HB 585 to the House floor. The measure passed on a voice vote.

Rep. Melissa Wintrow, a Democrat from Boise and the bill’s sponsor, says women are five times more likely to be killed if a gun is present in a domestic violence situation.

If approved, the bill would make it a misdemeanor for people convicted of domestic violence within the last two years of that assault or battery against a household member from possessing a firearm

Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia have already passed similar legislation.