Campus gun law headed for full Senate vote

COEUR d'ALENE - State lawmakers moved closer Wednesday to making it legal to carry guns on Idaho's college and university campuses.

Despite objections from the state's higher education institution presidents, community college trustees and the Idaho State Board of Education, the Senate State Affairs Committee voted 7-2 to move the legislation forward for a full Senate vote.

The measure, if passed into law, will allow retired law enforcement officers and anyone holding an Idaho enhanced concealed weapons license to carry firearms on college grounds. Guns would still be banned from campus residence halls and dormitories, and from places where 1,000 or more people can assemble.

North Idaho College spokesman Mark Browning, who described himself as the great-great-great grandson of American gun inventor John Browning, testified at the committee hearing in Boise.

"It's a difficult, difficult thing that's in front of you today," Browning said to the lawmakers. "Local authority is a very strong issue, and it's up to you to balance the needs of one over the needs of others."

States that currently allow campus-carry are Colorado, Kansas, Mississippi, Oregon, Wisconsin and Utah. Most, including Idaho, leave it up to schools to decide.

Sen. Elliot Werk, one of two Democrats voting against the bill in the party-line vote, questioned whether having armed students in class could exacerbate conflicts.

"If you have instructors teaching controversial subjects, we have students who might take issue with other students during controversial discussions," he said. "I really feel strongly that the endgame is to make our campuses completely weaponized."

National Rifle Association lobbyist Dakota Moore countered that almost all concealed-carry holders have found themselves in personal conflicts or held a stressful job and never drawn a weapon in the heat of the moment.

"This type of intimidation or this type of pressure isn't unique to college or university campuses as many people imply," Moore said. "These issues don't change between college and graduation."

Moore testified for 47 minutes, more than 25 percent of the nearly three-hour committee hearing that resulted in sending the measure to the Senate floor.

Only about a third of the people who signed up were allowed to testify before the committee voted.

Boise Police Chief Mike Masterson said democracy failed after he and other law enforcement officers were blocked from speaking during the hearing.

Coeur d'Alene Police Sgt. Christie Wood, who is also a trustee on the North Idaho College board, said her police department also feels let down by the committee's action.

"We're just as disappointed that our expert opinions are not given any kind of due consideration," Wood told The Press. "We're very disappointed in the process and certainly hope that there is some reconsideration of testimony from law enforcement."

A representative of the Idaho Fraternal Order of Police was allowed to testify in support of the legislation.

Wood said the FOP is a national organization, a lobbying group, with a state chapter.

"What's really disappointing is that their testimony was taken over local Idaho law enforcement officers," Wood said.

Kootenai County Sheriff Ben Wolfinger told The Press Wednesday that the legislation does not directly affect his agency, since NIC is within the city of Coeur d'Alene's police department's jurisdiction.

Wolfinger wrote, in a letter to The Press, that the Idaho Sheriffs' Association voted last week to support the legislation. He wrote that he thinks the bill has "some definite merits, but also some shortcomings."

It makes it clear, Wolfinger wrote, that peace officers and retired peace officers are allowed to carry concealed weapons on college campuses, and limits campus gun-carrying to civilian citizens with enhanced permits which require some recent firearms training.

"Allowing people who are properly trained to carry is always a good thing," he wrote.

He is concerned about the limit on carrying guns in large venues, specifically those that can seat 1,000 people or more. He wrote that it seems arbitrary.

"If a person is lawfully carrying a concealed weapon to class, but must now go to an area that seats greater than 1,000, what do they do with their weapon?" Wolfinger wrote. "Will this increase the number of auto burglaries and firearms thefts on college campuses?"

He is also concerned about what might happen when officers respond to a call of an "active shooter" at a school or college campus, because officers are trained to "engage and eliminate the threat of the armed individual."

"I fear the day when a responding officer is unable to make the split second distinction between a bad guy with a gun and a good guy with a gun. Either way, the result could be tragic," Wolfinger wrote. "Only time will tell how this really plays out."

The Associated Press and Press correspondent Dave Goins contributed to this report.