ID: Constitutional Carry Rally, 21 February, 2015 Boise

The Idaho Second Amendment Alliance (ISAA) has organized a rally in support of the constitutional carry bill introduced into the House, H0089.  The rally is scheduled to take place on 21 February at 3:30 p.m. at the Capitol in Boise.  From the ISAA facebook page:

We will be meeting at the Center on the Grove (850 W Front St) and marching up to the capitol building. Several speakers will give a few brief words on the capitol steps.

We will have a table setup at the Center on the Grove where you can buy hats, window decals, and signup to become an official ISAA member!!!

Idaho is about 99% constitutional carry already.  Open carry is not infringed on.  People can carry concealed outside of city limits without a permit, and inside of city limits with a permit that is not too difficult to obtain.  This legislation is more about principle than it is about an abusive government, such as is complained about in Maryland or New Jersey.

The event seems well planned, as the assembly area is the convention center (850 W Front St), which should have plenty of parking.  A rally will also be held in Rexburg the same day.   

It would be hard to find a better example of the "horizontal interpretative communities" that Professor Brian Anse Patrick writes about in "Rise of the Anti-Media".   The scholarly work documents the effectiveness of the gun culture in its response to attacks by the elite establishments.   Anyone who is interested in how second amendment activism works and is succeeding in the face of intense opposition from the power structure, should read Rise of the Anti-Media.

Here is the letter that ISAA is asking its members to send to their legislators:
 

"Idaho Legislator,
I am writing you to express my support for House Bill 89, Constitutional Carry, advocated by the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance.
Constitutional Carry will help further align Idaho laws with the true meaning of the Second Amendment. Criminals do not obey laws or obtain permits. Law abiding citizens should not be burdened with an unnecessary permitting process which has no effect on criminal activity.
Constitutional Carry makes it legal for law-abiding citizens to carry a handgun, firearm, or other weapon concealed without a permit or license just as they open carry currently without a permit. Note that anyone who is currently ineligible to obtain a license to carry a concealed weapon will still be prohibited from carrying a concealed weapon under House Bill 89.
Five states currently have Constitutional Carry: Vermont, since 1791; Alaska, since 2003; Arizona, since 2010; Wyoming, since 2011, and Arkansas, since 2013. Statistics show that crime did not increase after Constitutional Carry was enacted and even went down.
I stand with the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance in support of House Bill 89 and I will vote out any legislator that does not support our Constitutional rights. If you haven't been contacted by the ISAA Legislative Team you can reach them at info@idahosaa.org."
Thank you all for your support!!!

Second amendment supporters, like the great reform movements before them, build on past achievements, reminding themselves and legislators that it can be done, has been done, and has been successful.  One of the posters on ISAA's facebook page has this comment about Arizona:

 Ron Wittman Absolutely. Agree. I have been in Arizona and see the comfort of the carriers and those knowing they are supported by their friends and neighbors that are carrying. Come on Idaho. Let's protect ourselves. Please Id. Legislators. Help us help ourselves.

The state level organic organizations, such as ISAA, are what are driving the second amendment restoration movement.   The organizations are as "grassroots" as it gets, operating on little or no money.   They often have little liking or respect for the NRA, which is regarded as too timid, slow in response, and bureaucratic to be of much help.   

Idaho is regarded as a "gun friendly" state, yet it did not pass a "shall issue" CCW law until 1990, and has been incrementally reforming its gun laws since that time.  A very mild "campus carry" law was passed last year, 2014, but it only applied to the tiny number of people in Idaho who qualify under their "enhanced carry" permit law.

The "campus carry" bill was fought hard by the old media and their allies in academia.  They resorted to fabrications and had the support of the NYTs.   As second amendment supporters would say, "the usual".  They failed.  The bill was passed and signed into law.   

That sort of success, while small and incremental, reinforces the gun cultures belief that they can win these struggles.  It is an area where everyman can read the Constitution, understand what it says, fight the elites with all their power and money and control, and prevail.

Not only did the campus carry bill pass, but there was no downside for those who voted for it.  The composition of the legislature remained almost exactly the same.   Governor Otter was elected for a third term; he is only the second Idaho governor to accomplish that feat.

I predict that the legislative reforms for constitutional carry will pass in Idaho in 2015, adding another state to the list where the majority of second amendment infringements have been removed.
 

©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch