BOISE, ID – The Idaho House passed a bill that could allow members of the public to concealed carry guns inside some parts of courthouses.
House Bill 621 would allow people to concealed carry guns inside the parts of courthouse buildings that aren’t for court. The bill would effectively permit concealed carry inside courthouse offices for county commissioners, clerks and other administrative services, but not in courtrooms, judges chambers, witness rooms, jury deliberation rooms and other court facilities.
Nampa Republican Rep. Brent Crane called the bill an unfunded mandate for counties. The bill, some lawmakers say, will force counties to overhaul courthouse security screening setups so they only prohibit guns in courtrooms.
In the Canyon County courthouse, Crane said county officials will need to move metal detectors from the front door up to floors two and three – where courtrooms are. And they’ll need more staff. Still, he said he’d vote for the bill.
“I’m voting for the bill. I’ve got 100% voting record with the NRA,” Crane said, referring to the National Rifle Association, a powerful gun lobbying group. “Don’t want any of you guys to screw up your voting record with the NRA. But this is wrong.”
Crane took issue with the bill’s fiscal note claiming the legislation “does not mandate any additional spending or requirements.”
Boise State Public Radio reported that a survey by Idaho Association of Counties showed it could cost tens of millions of dollars to remodel courthouses to comply with the bill.
Sponsor says bill protects residents’ Second Amendment rights, but others say it could put county officials in harm’s way
The bill passed on a nearly party-line 56-11 vote. The only two Republicans who voted against the bill — Rep. Jack Nelsen, of Jerome, and Rep. John Vander Woude, of Nampa — are not seeking re-election. All nine House Democrats opposed the bill.
Moscow Republican Rep. Brandon Mitchell, who’s sponsoring the bill, said he’s here to protect people’s rights.
“I completely believe in local control. I’ve said that several times. However, local control when they start stepping on people’s rights, I think that’s the state’s responsibility to step in and fix that, correct it,” Mitchell said.
In Bonneville County, the cost to comply with the bill is more than $2 million at first, then $1.3 million each year going forward, said Idaho Falls Republican Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen.
“Where’s the right of our judicial (officials) to be safe?” she asked.
Then moments later, she previewed the bill’s fate.
“We’ll all be voting for this bill, but it should have been worked better,” Mickelsen said.
Boise Democratic Rep. Annie Henderson Haws, an attorney, told lawmakers the bill could expose public officials to more risk, and shift costs to counties.
“This body is bent on trimming budgets. And yet we have no respect for the budgets of our counties or the work that they will have to go through for just the very pleasure of us being able to not put our guns in our car when we walk into these buildings and simply go in there and take care of business,” Haws said. “Instead, we’re putting our court clerks, who sit at desks that are open to the public, at risk of incidences of harassment and violence.”
The bill now heads to the Senate. To become law, Idaho bills must pass the House and Senate, and avoid the governor’s veto.
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