Why Permitless Carry has Taken so Long in Idaho: Three Powerful House Chairs Oppose it

It says a great deal that these powerful people chose this political hill to die on.  Why?  Why not vote for the bill, and at least camouflage your actions?  How many are still in the Idaho legislature who did exactly that? These are only the ones in the House.  These three representative control three of the most powerful committees in the Idaho legislature.  They can pass bills and stop bills.  They can prevent bills from ever seeing the light of day.  It seems that they have done so.  The final vote in the House was 54 to 15!  Only active suppression by the House leadership could keep that sort of support bottled up.  And it did.  Until now. From Idaho Reporter.com:

Three high-profile Republican House members opposed a bill Friday that would allow permitless concealed carry throughout Idaho.

Despite the opposition from most House Democrats and Reps. Maxine Bell, R-Jerome, Rep. Rich Wills, R-Glenns Ferry, and Fred Wood, R-Burley, the bill cleared the chamber on 54 to 14 vote and now moves to Gov. Butch Otter’s desk for his consideration.

In the image above, courtesy of the Idaho Reporter and  ktvb.com, from left to right:

Fred Wood, R-Burley votesmart.org:
Health and Welfare, Chair

Maxine Bell, R-Jerome From npr.org:

 Rep. Maxine Bell, a retired school librarian from Jerome, was first elected to the Idaho Legislature in 1988.  She’s the longtime co-chair of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, which crafts the annual state budget.

 District 25
14^th term
194 S. 300 E., Jerome, 83338
Home (208) 324-4296
Retired Farmer/School Librarian
Committees:
Appropriations – Chair
Agricultural Affairs

Rich Wills, R-Glenns Ferry votesmart.org:

Judiciary, Rules and Administration, Chair

 District 23
7^th term
P.O. Box 602, Glenns Ferry, 83623
Home (208) 366-7408
Bus (208) 484-0403
FAX (208) 366-2457
Business Owner, Opera Theatre/ Communications Consulting Business
Committees:
Judiciary, Rules, & Administration – Chair
Education
Transportation & Defense

If these three Chairs are against you in the Idaho legislature, it does not matter very much who is for you.  It takes the overwhelming force of a higher power to overcome the resistance of the massive legislative clout of these Chairs.

And that is what happened.  The overwhelming force was the force of the voters in Idaho.  At one point, a thousand demonstrators showed up at the Idaho capitol, and this was not a one time event.  This has been building for years.  On the side of this bill are the vast majority of Idaho sheriffs in the Idaho Sheriffs Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, and the NRA.  The overwhelming political force of the voters was organized by the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance.  They have become a powerful voice in the Idaho legislature.  I expect to hear more from them in the future. 

The bill has not yet passed.  It has been sent to Governor Butch Otter.  I expect him to sign it.  He has been pro Second Amendment in the past.  If he does not veto it, it will become law five days (not counting Sunday) after it is enrolled and the Governor receives it.  The legislative web site is not yet showing it as enrolled.

©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
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