Idaho Sheriff: Concealed Carry Permit = Second Amendment

An Idaho sheriff has said the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution is essentially a permit that acts a concealed carry permit.

Idaho currently is one of the states looking to repeal the requirement that people need a permit to carry a gun in public. State lawmakers introduced a bill in the Idaho House on Feb. 5, which essentially says gun owners don’t need a concealed carry permit.

Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler supports the measure.

“The right to bear arms is already in the constitution and I think it makes it consistent with our federal statutes,” Wheeler told KHQ-TV, an NBC affiliate. He added that about 700 people per year apply for concealed carry permits, and he said that less than 5 percent are denied.

“If you’re a criminal you’re not going to go and follow through and get a concealed weapons permit,” Wheeler said. “If you’re going to commit a crime then you’re just going to commit a crime.”

He elaborated that it wouldn’t affect day-to-day police operations. “Any stop we initiate, we ask if they have a weapon,” said Wheeler. “Somebody having a concealed weapons permit is not going to prohibit or change our tactics. And if they aren’t suppose to have that weapon, we’ll find out when we run them through our computers.”

In eastern Idaho, Bannock County Sheriff Lorin Nielsen and Pocatello Police Chief Scott Marchand came out against the bill last month, saying it will make the jobs of law enforcement officers tougher.

Currently, Idaho residents who want to carry a concealed weapon need to get a permit. There are two types of permits available in Idaho, one of which requires training and is recognized as valid in some other states.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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