On Monday, an Idaho grandfather addressed a legislative hearing in the Idaho statehouse accompanied by his 11-year-old granddaughter, who was wearing something she carried on her right shoulder: a loaded AR-15.
Accompanied by her grandfather, Charles, an 11-year-old girl named Bailey Nielsen carried a loaded AR-15 into the Idaho statehouse.https://t.co/mLq7V1JLlU
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) February 25, 2020
The hearing was discussing a proposal that would allow visitors to Idaho to conceal carry within city limits if they are legally permitted to own firearms, as AP reported.
Bailey Nelson stood by her grandfather, Charles Nielsen, who told the committee, “Bailey is carrying a loaded AR-15. People live in fear, terrified of that which they do not understand. She’s been shooting since she was 5 years old. She got her first deer with this weapon at 9. She carries it responsibly. She knows how not to put her finger on the trigger. We live in fear in a society that is fed fear on a daily basis.”
Referencing visitors to Idaho, he continued, “When they come to Idaho, they should be able to carry concealed, because they carry responsibly. They’re law-abiding citizens. It’s the criminal we have to worry about.”
AP noted, “Guns are not an uncommon sight in the Statehouse when gun legislation is being debated, particularly handguns on belt holsters. Long rifles such as AR-15s also appear occasionally. Some Idaho lawmakers are known to carry concealed weapons in the Statehouse.”
Republican Rep. Christy Zito, who proposed the bill, stated, “I stand here before you today as a mother and grandmother who has had to use a firearm to defend their child.” She recalled an incident in which she warded off two men who approached her vehicle in which her daughter was seated, saying, “Even though I didn’t have to pull the trigger, just the fact that they could see it, and they knew that I had it, was the determining factor.”
Idaho law states:
No person shall carry concealed weapons on or about his person without a license to carry concealed weapons, except:
(a) In the person’s place of abode or fixed place of business;
(b) On property in which the person has any ownership or leasehold interest;
(c) On private property where the person has permission to carry concealed weapons from any person with an ownership or leasehold interest;
(d) Outside the limits of or confines of any city, if the person is eighteen (18) years of age or older and is not otherwise disqualified from being issued a license under subsection (11) of this section.
The Idaho State Police add, “Idaho recognizes all other states validly issued and current concealed weapons licenses/permits. Out of state residents must have their state concealed weapons license/permits on their person when carrying a concealed weapon in the state of Idaho.”
AP added, “Idaho residents 18 and older are allowed to carry a concealed handgun within city limits in Idaho without a permit or training following a new law that went into place last summer. The legislation would extend that to any legal resident of the United States or a U.S. armed services member.”