BOISE -- Idaho House members are taking aim at the federal government's authority to regulate guns made and sold in Idaho.
The measure approved 52-17 along party lines Tuesday declares that firearms manufactured and sold in the state should not be subject to federal buyer background checks and dealer licensing rules.
If it becomes a state law, GOP supporters expect it will be challenged in the courts. A similar law adopted in Montana last year is now in federal court.
St. Maries Republican Rep. Dick Harwood welcomes the chance to defend the law. He says federal courts have interpreted the U.S. Constitution too broadly, cutting into the rights of states to regulate themselves.
Democratic opponents say defending the law would be a waste of money. The Idaho Attorney General also says the law could be struck down if used to regulate firearms in ways that conflict with federal law.
