Idaho Sport Shooters Alliance Legislative Wrap-up

Idaho Sport Shooters Alliance Legislative Wrap-up

Troy, ID –-(AmmoLand.com)- The legislative session has come and gone. Unlike the past two sessions, there weren’t many major issues concerning firearms rights or shooting ranges which came up.

We had several proposals which never received a hearing due to the (unexpectedly) early adjournment this year. Rest assured that we will be working on these and other important issues in the next session.

The following is a list of bills of interest to the sport shooting community that were passed and signed by the governor with a brief explanation of each:

S1284 Raises the amount of money available for grants for range improvement through IDFG from $100,000 to $125,000. This is good news especially since, as many of you know, the lions share of this fund has been being used at Farragut State Park for the past several years to try to get that range reopened after the successful lawsuit by nearby residents. I have been advised that this is the last year that these funds will be needed for Farragut so (hopefully) state range grants will be fully funded again in 2011.

S1375 Exempts active duty military from late fees for renewing their CCW license after it’s expiration.

H444 Makes a couple of slight changes to the CCW license application. First, application forms will no longer have to be in triplicate so the Sherriffs will be able to make them available electronically. Second, adds the requirement that an applicant disclose their place of birth and citizenship to correspond with the Federal requirements for purchase. CCW licenses will be changing in some other ways as well: when the state begins printing the new drivers licenses with enhanced security features in a central location, applicants for a CCW will get a temporary permit from the Sheriff’s office and receive the license by mail.

H631 Creates a procedure by which people who are under a lifetime Federal firearms disability because of past mental health orders can petition a court to remove the disability. While this may not affect many people in Idaho it is definitely a step in the right direction: since Congress has refused to fund the Federal relief from disabilities procedure since 1992, in many cases people have had no way to even petition to regain their constitutional rights. One of the bills which was waiting to be introduced when the session ended would have created a similar procedure for people who are prohibited under the “Lautenberg Amendment”. Right now, some felons have their firearms rights immediately restored when they are released from supervision, while people convicted of certain misdemeanors have no way to regain their rights. This is an issue that we will definitely raise again next session.

We continue to work with various state agencies to help clubs find land to locate/ relocate ranges. Lewiston Gun Club is currently shut down because the loss of their range and there is a proposal in Southern Idaho to do a land swap for Federal ground to develop a facility. Our goal is to give a state agency the mandate to assist clubs with range development where needed and appropriate. This is an ongoing project– if you are aware of anyone else who is interested in developing a range around the state (or of a range which needs to relocate) please have them contact me–we are here to help!

Once again, Thank You! to all of you who have supported IDSSA in the past year. We depend on your financial support to keep up this effort on behalf of Idaho gun owners and shooters. Please help spread the word: if you know someone or belong to a club that isn’t a member, tell them: They should be– working together we will continue to make a difference.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions, concerns, or suggestions.

Mike

About:
The Idaho Sport Shooters Alliance is the only statewide group dedicated solely to advocating for the interests of gun owners and recreational shooters in Idaho. Visit: www.idahossa.org