Idaho looks into loud cannon fire at governor’s inauguration

BOISE – Idaho National Guard’s commanding officer says he will look into 19 startlingly loud ceremonial canon blasts that were part of Gov. Brad Little’s inauguration.

The canon fire on Jan. 4 set off car alarms in downtown Boise and scattered Canada geese into the air as smoke billowed around soldiers. Some of the several thousand people attending flinched in surprise.

Republican Sen. Chuck Winder of Boise asked Friday during a committee meeting of state lawmakers why the cannon blasts seemed louder than normal.

Idaho Army National Guard Brig. Gen. Michael J. Garshak said he’ll look into why the blasts were so loud.

Garshak is responsible for maintaining the Idaho National Guard’s combat readiness as combat reserve for the Army and Air Force.