Officials’ Exemption For Guns Criticized

A freshman lawmaker has fired off a proposal to strip publicly elected officials of the right to pack a handgun without a concealed weapons permit.

As the law stands, any publicly elected official, including the governor, legislators, mayors, county clerks, county commissioners and highway district officials, can carry a weapon without a criminal background check, a 90-day waiting period or a $20 fee.

“We shouldn’t have special exemptions that don’t have any relevance to the office,” said Rep. David Callister, R-Boise. “I’d love to know how it got there in the first place.”

Callister objects to special treatment of legislators, including special license plates that alert law enforcement to lawmakers’ status and a health benefits package he said is “way overblown for part-time employees.” In principle, he has an unlikely ally in the National Rifle Association, with a twist.

“It’s our hope that all law-abiding citizens would have the same right that elected officials now have,” said Brian Judy, Idaho legislative liaison for the National Rifle Association.

“The philosophical position of the NRA is that nobody should have to get a permit.”