BOISE, ID. — The Idaho chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action issued the following statement after House lawmakers passed a measure expanding the state’s law on allowing guns on school grounds. Currently, Idaho allows any person or school employee who has permission of the board of trustees of the school district to carry a firearm on school grounds.Under this new measure, schools will be required to let any school employee or volunteer who has an enhanced concealed carry license bring a concealed firearm on school property.
“This is gut wrenching – gun violence continues to be the leading cause of death for children and teenagers in this country, we should be working to keep our children far away from these deadly weapons, not bringing them to the classroom,” said Jacqui Hamilton, a volunteer with the Idaho chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Aside from the clear dangers, this bill undermines parents and schools’ autonomy to decide whether to allow firearms on their school grounds and limits access to justice if a tragedy unfolds. We urge the Senate to reject this dangerous measure and ask our lawmakers to join us in the fight against gun violence.”
Safe schools are cornerstones of American communities—places where our children’s days are brightened and horizons are opened. Since 2013, Everytown has identified a total of 1,172 incidents of gunfire on school grounds. More information on gun violence on school grounds is available here.
Earlier this month, Everytown released its annual Gun Law Rankings and found that Idaho ranks 48th in the nation for its weak gun laws. In an average year, 295 people die by guns. With a rate of 16.2 deaths per 100,000 people, Idaho has the 19th-highest rate of gun deaths in the US, while 86% of gun deaths in Idaho are by firearm suicide. More information about gun violence in Idaho is available here.
