Bill to arm Idaho teachers falls in committee

“This is a Second Amendment bill, not a school safety bill, and, to me, that’s an important distinction,” said Senate President Pro Tem Chuck Winder, R-Boise. “I think we’re better off holding it in committee, continuing to work on the issue.” The Senate State Affairs Committee voted 5-4 in favor of Winder’s motion to table the bill after a public hearing that swayed one Democrat to support the proposal.

“I have an ideology, I have a philosophy: no guns in schools,” said Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise. “I started to soften as I listened to the testimony. … You guys convinced me that teachers, school folks should be able to make those policies and make those choices without me interfering with my flag in the ground.”

SB 1418 was an alternate to House Bill 415, from Rep. Ted Hill, R-Eagle. The earlier bill would have given school staff, contractors and volunteers with enhanced concealed carry permits the right to carry guns on campus, regardless of local policies. This bill also barred districts from posting gun-free zone signs. House Republicans overwhelmingly approved that bill in January.

Sen. Jim Guthrie’s new version — co-sponsored by Hill — would have required school districts to develop policies allowing staff with enhanced concealed carry permits to carry guns on campus. It added additional baseline training, including annual requalification and active shooter training. And it allowed gun-free zone signs as long as they referenced that staff could be armed.

One key difference from the House bill was the inclusion of input from people “embedded in our school systems, who care so much about the education and safety of our kids,” said Guthrie, R-McCammon. “At the very least, they’ve earned a seat at the table.”

The Idaho School Boards Association and Idaho Association of School Resource Officers opposed HB 415. ISBA was neutral on the Senate bill, while the resource officers association supported it.

SB 1418 struck “a brilliant balance” between a personal decision to carry a firearm and local authority to set parameters on guns, in collaboration with law enforcement, said Morgan Ballis, president of the Association of School Resource Officers.

Stu Hobson, a former Nampa school resource officer, also lauded a provision to allow districts to regulate the type of weapons and ammunition permitted on campus. The bill is designed to protect “our kids and our staff,” Hobson said, and “certain rounds and certain types of weapons do not match with that safety concern.”

That was a sticking point for Winder. “Those are legitimate concerns, but as you look at this, I think that could really cause a major problem, too, with people defending themselves.” Winder also questioned the affordability of training requirements and whether school districts would cover them. “There are still some issues here that aren’t resolved.”

Representatives of the Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho Second Amendment Alliance and National Rifle Association testified against the bill. They argued it would be more restrictive than current law and opposed the provision allowing “gun-free zone” signs.

A few committee members referred to significant public interest in the bill, prompting many unsavory emails. Guthrie said he received hundreds that were “hateful and threatening.”

State Affairs held two votes on the bill. Before approving Winder’s motion to table it, the committee rejected Assistant Majority Leader Abby Lee’s motion to advance the bill to the Senate floor, where it could be amended. “I’m afraid that we might leave with nothing.”

Lee, R-Fruitland, argued it was a school safety bill: “The Second Amendment is very clear, but we have constructs already, where our schools are different, courts are different, our airports are different. … I recognize that these things can be treated differently.”