BOISE, Idaho — Legislation allowing individuals age 21 and older who have obtained an Idaho enhanced permit to carry a concealed weapon into public schools without having to tell anyone will get a hearing.
The House State Affairs Committee on Tuesday voted to hold the hearing that can include public comments on the legislation put forward by Republican Rep. Chad Christensen.
Christensen says his legislation is a gun rights issue and is meant to make schools safer.
"I'm not trying to introduce more dangerous situations in school, but the only way to stop the bad guy is a good guy with a gun," Christensen told KTVB.
"My concern is the would-be shooter would think about our schools and think there are not many guns there, not much resistance," Christensen said. "So this would make them know there's a very strong possibility a teacher or an admin could be carrying and they wouldn't go in and do harm upon our children."
Lawmakers on the committee questioned whether the legislation would make schools safer considering that such a concealed weapons carrier could decline to tell a school principal about the weapon.
Lawmakers also questioned why Christensen wanted to take away local control from school boards that can OK teachers and others carrying concealed weapons at school.
"I think that every school district has to evaluate that carefully within its community because different communities in Idaho have different experience," Rep. John Gannon (D-Boise) said. "People in rural areas tend to be more experienced with guns."
Gannon added that school administrators should have the right to know who has a gun on campus.