Anti-Gun Democrats DEFEATED, Again - Idaho Gov Sgns Senate Bill 1145 Protecting Right-To-Carry Permits

http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?ID=4800

Idaho: Several Bills signed by the Governor as Several more Await His
Consideration!

Friday, April 24, 2009

2009 has been an outstanding legislative session for the gun owners
and NRA members in Idaho. Several pro-gun and pro-hunting pieces of
legislation have passed during the 2009 session, and we were
successful in stopping one very blatant attack on our Second Amendment
Rights.

House Bill 229, sponsored by State Representative Pete Nielsen
(R-22B), expands upon current ?emergency powers? statute to prohibit
additional restrictions on the lawful possession, transfer, sale,
transport, storage, display or use of firearms or ammunition during a
state of extreme emergency. HB229 passed both the House and the
Senate and was sent to the Governor on Friday, April 17.

House Bill 287, the ?Employer Liability Act,? sponsored by State
Representative Jeff Thompson (R-33A), would remove an employer?s
liability for any accident related to a lawfully stored firearm, if
the employer adopts a policy allowing its employees to keep firearms
locked in their vehicles while parked on company property. If the
employer were to institute a policy that prohibits employees from
storing lawfully owned firearms in their private vehicles while at
work, the employer could still be held liable. HB287 passed the
Senate on Tuesday, April 21 with a vote of 26-8-1 and will now head to
the desk of the Governor.

Senate Bill 1145, sponsored by State Senator Mike Jorgenson (R-3),
would ensure that records of Right-to-Carry permits issued to retired
law enforcement are kept confidential. On April 10, SB1145 passed the
House with a vote of 57-0-13, and was sent to the Governor on
Thursday, April 16.

House Joint Memorial 3, sponsored by State Representative Marv
Hagedorn (R-20B), has been adopted and sent to the Secretary of State.
HJM3 recommends to the U.S. Congress that they not pass any anti-gun
bills. Similar House Joint Memorials have been passed in other states
and hopefully Congress gets the message that it needs to protect our
Second Amendment Rights.

The Governor has already shown that he supports your Second Amendment
Rights by signing three important pro-gun and pro-hunting legislation
into law.

On Friday, March 25, House Bill 137 was signed into law by Governor
C.L. ?Butch? Otter (R). HB137 will allow state parks the ability to
regulate discharge outside of normal, lawful usage: (i.e. target
practice in a safe area, hunting, sporting clays, or self-defense).
The purpose is to help control what would be considered unlawful
discharge in populated areas. HB137 also includes a subsection that
permits concealed carry in state parks.

On Wednesday, April 8, the Governor signed into law House Bill 65A,
sponsored by State Representative Joe Palmer (R-20A), into law. The
bill goes into effect on Wednesday, July 1. HB65A will enable
law-abiding Idahoans to purchase firearms in non-contiguous states. It
will also permit non-residents to purchase long guns in Idaho. As the
outdated law currently stands, residents of Idaho can only purchase
firearms from immediately surrounding states. With the enactment of
this bill, a resident of Idaho will now be allowed to purchase a
firearm in most of the 49 other states. This bill affects only rifles
and shotguns, as federal law prohibits interstate handgun sales.

On Wednesday, April 22, the Governor also signed House Bill 194A into
law. HB194A is the ?Idaho Sport Shooting Immunities Act (IDSSIA),?
sponsored by State Representative Marc Gibbs (R-31). HB194A protects
existing shooting ranges and increases opportunities for recreational
shooters and hunters to practice on safe and monitored ranges. Many
shooting ranges require range officers to operate and most range
officers are volunteers. Currently, in Idaho there is a shortage of
range officers because people who would volunteer are concerned about
lawsuits. This bill will provide those volunteers the protection they
need from frivolous lawsuits, so they can help ranges operate without
fear of being sued. In addition, HB194A will also protect government
entities involved in creating and operating shooting ranges,
encouraging them to open more ranges.

Limiting the liability of shooting range operators, firearms
instructors, and those involved in running matches and other events,
will help save existing ranges from being forced to close and protect
those involved with running ranges from frivolous lawsuits. HB194A
ensures that a range officer will not be subjected to a frivolous suit
while volunteering his valuable time.

This session, the NRA was also able to block one very blatant attack
on our Second Amendment rights. Senate Bill 1024, sponsored by State
Senator Les Bock (D-16), was an attempt to override preemption and
allow cities to create their own rules regarding concealed carry. This
was a blatant attempt at gun control and the bill will not be heard
this session thanks to NRA members and pro-gun members of the
legislature.

It is because of your support, phone calls, emails, and most
importantly, your active membership that we were able to have such a
strong year. Please, take the time to thank the Governor and your
legislators for all of their work to protect your rights.

Not every legislator voted in favor of every bill. To see how your
legislator voted click on each individual bill number in order to see
if your Senator and Representative supported or opposed the above
bills. If they did support your Second Amendment Rights, please call
to thank them because they have earned it. If they did not, please
ask them if your Second Amendment rights are important to them. To
find contact information for both Governor C.L. ?Butch? Otter (R) and
your members of the Idaho State Legislature, please click here.

Thank you for all of your calls and be sure to check your e-mail and
www.NRAILA.org for updates throughout the year.

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