The Idaho State Police (ISP) is backing changes to state concealed weapons permits that could save some money and require proof of citizenship from all applicants. The two-part proposal has already passed the House by a large 62-3 vote. On Monday, a Senate panel approved the measure, which now awaits a full Senate vote.
The proposed change would eliminate a requirement that all applications be completed in triplicate, usually tear-off, carbon copy forms. ISP and county sheriffs, which issue concealed carry permits, could switch to forms that could easily be scanned onto a computer. That move that could save ISP $2,500 a year. “The cost of these forms have become a burden to our already stretched budget,” said Dawn Peck with ISP's Bureau of Criminal Identification, which manages state concealed weapons records. She told IdahoReporter.com in December, while ISP was putting together the legislation, that changes should be made. “It’s a pretty expensive and cumbersome process and we want to make it more cost-effective,” she said.
New concealed weapons applications would also require a person's citizenship and place of birth. Peck said this change is mandated by federal law, because the state concealed weapon license is treated like a federal background check that was created by the Brady Bill. "In Idaho, if you have a concealed weapons permit and you show that at a gun shop, you do not have to undergo that background check," she said. "We need those pieces of data to do that same kind of check that the Brady check does."
