An 11-year-old girl showed up with her loaded AR-15 assault rifle before Idaho lawmakers at a committee hearing on Monday in support of a proposed gun law, and to show she was the type of person who could handle a firearm responsibly.

Bailey Nielsen, accompanied by her grandfather, appeared before state lawmakers in Boise for a hearing on the proposed law.

If approved, the law would allow visitors to the state, who can legally possess firearms, to carry concealed handguns within city limits.

Bailey Nielsen, 11, accompanied by her grandfather Charles appeared before state lawmakers in Boise, Idaho, at a committee hearing in support of a proposed gun law

Bailey also came with the rifle slung over her right shoulder to show she can handle a firearm responsibly, her grandfather said. Pictured is an AR-15 assault rifle

The committee voted to send the legislation, proposed by Republican Rep. Christy Zito and opposed by three Democrats, to the full House for a vote.

Baiely, who was silent in her appearance before the committee, had the rifle slung over her right shoulder.

She let her grandfather speak on her behalf, who explained that she had been trained to properly handle a weapon since she was a young child.

'People live in fear, terrified of that which they do not understand. She's been shooting since she was 5 years old. She got her first deer with this weapon at 9. She carries it responsibly. She knows how not to put her finger on the trigger. We live in fear in a society that is fed fear on a daily basis,' Charles Nielsen told the committee.

He said Bailey was an example of someone who could responsibly handle a gun, and lawmakers should extend that to non-residents.

'When they come to Idaho, they should be able to carry concealed, because they carry responsibly,' he said. 'They're law-abiding citizens. It's the criminal we have to worry about.'

The AR-15, dubbed by the National Rifle Association as 'America's Most Popular Rifle,' also has been the weapon of choice for mass shooters.

The committee voted to send the legislation, proposed by Republican Rep. Christy Zito (pictured) and opposed by three Democrats, to the full House for a vote

Zito said said the legislation is intended to clear up confusion about state gun laws.

Backers also say it will give people the ability to defend themselves if needed.

Idaho residents 18 and older are allowed to carry a concealed handgun within city limits in Idaho without a permit or training following a new law that went into place last summer. The legislation would extend that to any legal resident of the United States or a U.S. armed services member.

'I stand here before you today as a mother and grandmother who has had to use a firearm to defend their child,' Zito said.

Zito recalled when two men once approached her vehicle with her daughter inside.

'Even though I didn't have to pull the trigger, just the fact that they could see it, and they knew that I had it, was the determining factor,' she said.

Opponents say allowing teenagers to carry a concealed weapon without any required training within city limits is a bad idea and could lead to shootings.

If the bill becomes law, Idaho would be among a handful of states that allow that type of concealed carry.

'The vast majority of states require that a person get a permit before carrying a concealed gun in public,' said Diana David of Moms Demand Action, an organization that seeks public safety measures to protect people from gun violence. 'That's a common-sense policy.