After an emotional debate, the Idaho House on Tuesday narrowly rejected legislation to mirror federal law by barring those convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence against an intimate partner from possessing guns for two years.
Rep. Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, the bill’s lead sponsor, noted that Utah passed similar legislation last year with a Republican senator sponsoring it; 28 states have done the same with bipartisan backing.
“This is one of the most dangerous situations you can find … and then you throw a gun in the mix,” Wintrow told the House. She also provided an Idaho attorney general’s opinion assuring lawmakers that the bill was constitutional. “We are saying if you’ve been convicted as a criminal, then you should not have a deadly weapon – that’s it,” she said. “We could save lives.”