One indicator of how Idaho gun laws play out stands above the rest: the state has already passed legislation that declares the state will not enforce future gun control laws from the federal government. In a definitive statement of where the Idaho stands on gun laws, the bill passed unanimously.
This law is commonly called a nullification law, meaning that federal law does not apply there. Although how much legal standing these laws against the United States Constitution is questionable,
according to The Daily Beast. These laws attempt to bar federal enforcement of its gun laws within states' borders.
Idaho passed such its nullification legislation when Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter signed into law Senate Bill 1332 in March 2014.
According to the Idaho State Journal, the legisation passed unaminously through both the House and Senate.
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News21 reported in 2014 that other states attempted to pass similar legislation, many of the in the wake of the Sandy Hook mass shooting. Fourteen nullification bills were passed by legislators in 11 states. But only 11 of those bills made it into law.
Montana pushed a comparable bill through its legislatures, but it was vetoed by the state’s governor. “I would like to see some of this power shifted back from governments, especially the federal government, to the states and to the people,” Gary Marbut, president of the Montana Shooting Sports Association,
told News21.
In some ways, Oregon and Washington are two neighboring states that may be even more open about guns than Idaho. For example, unlike in Utah, one does not need a permit to buy a rifle, shotgun, or handgun in Oregon and Washington, and once a gun has been purchased in those states, it does not need to be registered,
according to the National Rifle Association.
Wyoming has had a nullification law on the books since 2010.
This article does not constitute legal advice. Check the current gun laws before purchasing or traveling with a firearm.
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