No permit, no problem. If you’re 21-and-over, within any city in Idaho, from July 1, you’re free to legally bear a concealed firearm.
Idaho’s Senate officially passed the new law on March 18, voting 54–15 in favor to remove the necessity for a permit to carry a concealed weapon within city limits.
Senate Bill 1389 adds to the state’s already lax carry laws.
Prior to the bill’s passing, if you were 18 years old, you could carry concealed without a permit—but outside of the city.
So now, the state is tacking on the in-city concealed carry for 21-year-olds, along with the already legal in-city open carry.
First introduced back on March 7, Bill 1389 initially passed by a vote of 27-8 just nine days later. On March 18, the bill passed for the second and final time by a vote of 54-15 and was delivered to Governor C.L. Otter, who subsequently signed the bill four days later.
In his approval letter to the President, Gov. Otter said:
“I’m a gun owner, a hunter and a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. I have consistently championed our citizens’ gun rights throughout my years in public office, and I do so again today in signing Senate Bill 1389 into law.
“While S1389 is consistent with the U.S. Constitution, Idaho values and our commitment to upholding our constitutional protections from government overreach, I am concerned about its lack of any provision for education and training of individuals who choose to exercise the right to concealed carry.”
At the close of his letter, the governor called for the Legislature’s monitoring of the new law, and asks for their response in the event that “statutory education and training requirement undermines public safety.”
