Statutes: Idaho

(1) The legislature hereby finds that the people of Idaho have reserved for themselves the right to keep and bear arms while granting the legislature the authority to regulate the carrying of weapons concealed. The provisions of this chapter regulating the carrying of weapons must be strictly construed so as to give maximum scope to the rights retained by the people.

(2) As used in this chapter:

(a) “Concealed weapon” means any deadly weapon carried on or about the person in a manner not discernible by ordinary observation;

(b) “Deadly weapon” means:

(i) Any dirk, dirk knife, bowie knife, dagger or firearm;

(ii) Any other weapon, device, instrument, material or substance that is designed and manufactured to be readily capable of causing death or serious bodily injury; or

(iii) Any other weapon, device, instrument, material or substance that is intended by the person to be readily capable of causing death or serious bodily injury.

(c) The term “deadly weapon” does not include:

(i) Any knife, cleaver or other instrument that is intended by the person to be used in the processing, preparation or eating of food;

(ii) Any knife with a blade six (6) inches or less; or

(iii) Any taser, stun-gun, pepper spray or mace;

(d) “Firearm” means any weapon that will, is designed to, or may readily be converted to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive;

(e) “Loaded” means:

(i) For a firearm capable of using fixed ammunition, that live ammunition is present in:

1. The chamber or chambers of the firearm;

2. Any internal magazine of the firearm; or

3. A detachable magazine inserted in the firearm;

(ii) For a firearm that is not capable of using fixed ammunition, that the firearm contains:

1. A propellant charge; and

2. A priming cap or primer cap.

(3) No person shall carry concealed weapons on or about his person without a license to carry concealed weapons, except:

(a) In the person’s place of abode or fixed place of business;

(b) On property in which the person has any ownership or leasehold interest;

(c) On private property where the person has permission to carry concealed weapons from any person with an ownership or leasehold interest;

(d) Outside the limits of or confines of any city, if the person is eighteen (18) years of age or older and is not otherwise disqualified from being issued a license under subsection (11) of this section.

(4) Subsection (3) of this section shall not apply to restrict or prohibit the carrying or possession of:

(a) Any deadly weapon located in plain view;

(b) Any lawfully possessed shotgun or rifle;

(c) Any deadly weapon concealed in a motor vehicle;

(d) A firearm that is not loaded and is secured in a case;

(e) A firearm that is disassembled or permanently altered such that it is not readily operable; and

(f) Any deadly weapon concealed by a person who:

(i) Is over eighteen (18) years of age;

(ii) Is a citizen of the United States or a current member of the armed forces of the United States; and

(iii) Is not disqualified from being issued a license under paragraphs (b) through (n) of subsection (11) of this section.

(5) The requirement to secure a license to carry concealed weapons under this section shall not apply to the following persons:

(a) Officials of a city, county or the state of Idaho;

(b) Any publicly elected Idaho official;

(c) Members of the armed forces of the United States or of the national guard when in performance of official duties;

(d) Criminal investigators of the attorney general’s office and criminal investigators of a prosecuting attorney’s office, prosecutors and their deputies;

(e) Any peace officer as defined in section 19-5101(d), Idaho Code, in good standing;

(f) Retired peace officers or detention deputies with at least ten (10) years of service with the state or a political subdivision as a peace officer or detention deputy and who have been certified by the peace officer standards and training council;

(g) Any person who has physical possession of his valid license or permit authorizing him to carry concealed weapons from another state; and

(h) Any person who has physical possession of a valid license or permit from a local law enforcement agency or court of the United States authorizing him to carry concealed weapons.

(6) The sheriff of the county of the applicant’s residence or, if the applicant has obtained a protection order pursuant to chapter 63, title 39, Idaho Code, the sheriff of a county where the applicant is temporarily residing may issue a temporary emergency license for good cause pending review of an application made under subsection (7) of this section. Temporary emergency licenses must be easily distinguishable from regular licenses. A temporary emergency license shall be valid for not more than ninety (90) days.

(7) The sheriff of a county, on behalf of the state of Idaho, must, within ninety (90) days after the filing of a license application by any person who is not disqualified as provided herein from possessing or receiving a firearm under state or federal law, issue a license to the person to carry concealed weapons on his person within this state. Such license shall be valid for five (5) years from the date of issuance.

(8) The sheriff must make license applications readily available at the office of the sheriff, at other public offices in his or her jurisdiction and on the website of the Idaho state police. The license application shall be in a form to be prescribed by the director of the Idaho state police and must meet the following requirements:

(a) The license application shall require the applicant’s name, address, description, signature, date of birth, place of birth, military status, citizenship and the driver’s license number or state identification card number if used for identification in applying for the license. Provided however, that if the applicant is not a United States citizen and is legally in the United States, the application must also require any alien or admission number issued to the applicant by United States immigration and customs enforcement or any successor agency;

(b) The license application may ask the applicant to disclose his social security number but must indicate that disclosure of the applicant’s social security number is optional; and

(c) The license application must contain a warning that substantially reads as follows:

CAUTION: Federal law and state law on the possession of weapons and firearms differ. If you are prohibited by federal law from possessing a weapon or a firearm, you may be prosecuted in federal court. A state permit is not a defense to a federal prosecution.

(9) The sheriff may require the applicant to demonstrate familiarity with a firearm and must accept any one (1) of the following as evidence of the applicant’s familiarity with a firearm:

(a) Completion of any hunter education or hunter safety course approved by the department of fish and game or a similar agency of another state;

(b) Completion of any national rifle association firearms safety or training course or any national rifle association hunter education course or any equivalent course;

(c) Completion of any firearms safety or training course or class available to the general public offered by a law enforcement agency, community college, college, university, or private or public institution or organization or firearms training school utilizing instructors certified by the national rifle association or the Idaho state police;

(d) Completion of any law enforcement firearms safety or training course or class offered for security guards, investigators, special deputies, or offered for any division or subdivision of a law enforcement agency or security enforcement agency;

(e) Evidence of equivalent experience with a firearm through participation in organized shooting competition or military service;

(f) A current license to carry concealed weapons pursuant to this section, unless the license has been revoked for cause;

(g) Completion of any firearms training or safety course or class conducted by a state-certified or national rifle association-certified firearms instructor; or

(h) Other training that the sheriff deems appropriate.

(10) Any person applying for original issuance of a license to carry concealed weapons must submit his fingerprints with the completed license application. Within five (5) days after the filing of an application, the sheriff must forward the applicant’s completed license application and fingerprints to the Idaho state police. The Idaho state police must conduct a national fingerprint-based records check, an inquiry through the national instant criminal background check system and a check of any applicable state database, including a check for any mental health records for conditions or commitments that would disqualify a person from possessing a firearm under state or federal law, and return the results to the sheriff within sixty (60) days. If the applicant is not a United States citizen, an immigration alien query must also be conducted through United States immigration and customs enforcement or any successor agency. The sheriff shall not issue a license before receiving the results of the records check and must deny a license if the applicant is disqualified under any of the criteria listed in subsection (11) of this section. The sheriff may deny a license to carry concealed weapons to an alien if background information is not attainable or verifiable.

(11) A license to carry concealed weapons shall not be issued to any person who:

(a) Is under twenty-one (21) years of age, except as otherwise provided in this section;

(b) Is formally charged with a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one (1) year;

(c) Has been adjudicated guilty in any court of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one (1) year;

(d) Is a fugitive from justice;

(e) Is an unlawful user of marijuana or any depressant, stimulant or narcotic drug, or any controlled substance as defined in 21 U.S.C. 802;

(f) Is currently suffering from or has been adjudicated as having suffered from any of the following conditions, based on substantial evidence:

(i) Lacking mental capacity as defined in section 18-210, Idaho Code;

(ii) Mentally ill as defined in section 66-317, Idaho Code;

(iii) Gravely disabled as defined in section 66-317, Idaho Code; or

(iv) An incapacitated person as defined in section 15-5-101, Idaho Code;

(g) Has been discharged from the armed forces under dishonorable conditions;

(h) Has received a withheld judgment or suspended sentence for a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one (1) year, unless the person has successfully completed probation;

(i) Has received a period of probation after having been adjudicated guilty of, or received a withheld judgment for, a misdemeanor offense that has as an element the intentional use, attempted use or threatened use of physical force against the person or property of another, unless the person has successfully completed probation;

(j) Is an alien illegally in the United States;

(k) Is a person who having been a citizen of the United States has renounced his or her citizenship;

(l) Is free on bond or personal recognizance pending trial, appeal or sentencing for a crime that would disqualify him from obtaining a concealed weapons license;

(m) Is subject to a protection order issued under chapter 63, title 39, Idaho Code, that restrains the person from harassing, stalking or threatening an intimate partner of the person, or child of the intimate partner or person, or engaging in other conduct that would place an intimate partner in reasonable fear of bodily injury to the partner or child; or

(n) Is for any other reason ineligible to own, possess or receive a firearm under the provisions of Idaho or federal law.

(12) In making a determination in relation to an applicant’s eligibility under subsection (11) of this section, the sheriff shall not consider:

(a) A conviction, guilty plea or adjudication that has been nullified by expungement, pardon, setting aside or other comparable procedure by the jurisdiction where the conviction, guilty plea or adjudication occurred or in respect of which conviction, guilty plea or adjudication the applicant’s civil right to bear arms either specifically or in combination with other civil rights has been restored under operation of law or legal process; or

(b) Except as provided for in subsection (11)(f) of this section, an adjudication of mental defect, incapacity or illness or an involuntary commitment to a mental institution if the applicant’s civil right to bear arms has been restored under operation of law or legal process.

(13) A license to carry concealed weapons must be in a form substantially similar to that of the Idaho driver’s license and must meet the following specifications:

(a) The license must provide the licensee’s name, address, date of birth and the driver’s license number or state identification card number if used for identification in applying for the license;

(b) The license must bear the licensee’s signature and picture; and

(c) The license must provide the date of issuance and the date on which the license expires.

(14) Upon issuing a license under the provisions of this section, the sheriff must notify the Idaho state police within three (3) business days on a form or in a manner prescribed by the Idaho state police. Information relating to an applicant or licensee received or maintained pursuant to this section by the sheriff or Idaho state police is confidential and exempt from disclosure under section 74-105, Idaho Code.

(15) The fee for original issuance of a license shall be twenty dollars ($20.00), which the sheriff must retain for the purpose of performing the duties required in this section. The sheriff may collect the actual cost of any additional fees necessary to cover the cost of processing fingerprints lawfully required by any state or federal agency or department, and the actual cost of materials for the license lawfully required by any state agency or department, which costs must be paid to the state. The sheriff must provide the applicant with a copy of the results of the fingerprint-based records check upon request of the applicant.

(16) The fee for renewal of the license shall be fifteen dollars ($15.00), which the sheriff must retain for the purpose of performing the duties required in this section. The sheriff may collect the actual cost of any additional fees necessary to cover the processing costs lawfully required by any state or federal agency or department, and the actual cost of materials for the license lawfully required by any state agency or department, which costs must be paid to the state.

(17) Every license that is not, as provided by law, suspended, revoked or disqualified in this state shall be renewable at any time during the ninety (90) day period before its expiration or within ninety (90) days after the expiration date. The sheriff must mail renewal notices ninety (90) days prior to the expiration date of the license. The sheriff shall require the licensee applying for renewal to complete an application. The sheriff must submit the application to the Idaho state police for a records check of state and national databases. The Idaho state police must conduct the records check and return the results to the sheriff within thirty (30) days. The sheriff shall not issue a renewal before receiving the results of the records check and must deny a license if the applicant is disqualified under any of the criteria provided in this section. A renewal license shall be valid for a period of five (5) years. A license so renewed shall take effect on the expiration date of the prior license. A licensee renewing ninety-one (91) days to one hundred eighty (180) days after the expiration date of the license must pay a late renewal penalty of ten dollars ($10.00) in addition to the renewal fee unless waived by the sheriff, except that any licensee serving on active duty in the armed forces of the United States during the renewal period shall not be required to pay a late renewal penalty upon renewing ninety-one (91) days to one hundred eighty (180) days after the expiration date of the license. After one hundred eighty-one (181) days, the licensee must submit an initial application for a license and pay the fees prescribed in subsection (15) of this section. The renewal fee and any penalty shall be paid to the sheriff for the purpose of enforcing the provisions of this chapter. Upon renewing a license under the provisions of this section, the sheriff must notify the Idaho state police within five (5) days on a form or in a manner prescribed by the Idaho state police.

(18) No city, county or other political subdivision of this state shall modify or add to the requirements of this section, nor shall a city, county or political subdivision ask the applicant to voluntarily submit any information not required in this section. A civil action may be brought to enjoin a wrongful refusal to issue a license or a wrongful modification of the requirements of this section. The civil action may be brought in the county in which the application was made or in Ada county at the discretion of the petitioner. Any person who prevails against a public agency in any action in the courts for a violation of this section must be awarded costs, including reasonable attorney’s fees incurred in connection with the legal action.

(19) A county sheriff, deputy sheriff or county employee who issues a license to carry a concealed weapon under this section shall not incur any civil or criminal liability as the result of the performance of his duties in compliance with this section.

(20) The sheriff of a county shall issue a license to carry a concealed weapon to those individuals between the ages of eighteen (18) and twenty-one (21) years who, except for the age requirement contained in section 18-3302K(4), Idaho Code, would otherwise meet the requirements for issuance of a license under section 18-3302K, Idaho Code. Licenses issued to individuals between the ages of eighteen (18) and twenty-one (21) years under this subsection shall be easily distinguishable from licenses issued pursuant to subsection (7) of this section. A license issued pursuant to this subsection after July 1, 2016, shall expire on the twenty-first birthday of the licensee. A licensee, upon attaining the age of twenty-one (21) years, shall be allowed to renew the license under the procedure contained in section 18-3302K(9), Idaho Code. Such renewal license shall be issued as an enhanced license pursuant to the provisions of section 18-3302K, Idaho Code.

(21) A person carrying a concealed weapon in violation of the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

(22) The sheriff of the county where the license was issued or the sheriff of the county where the person resides shall have the power to revoke a license subsequent to a hearing in accordance with the provisions of chapter 52, title 67, Idaho Code, for any of the following reasons:

(a) Fraud or intentional misrepresentation in the obtaining of a license;

(b) Misuse of a license, including lending or giving a license to another person, duplicating a license or using a license with the intent to unlawfully cause harm to a person or property;

(c) The doing of an act or existence of a condition that would have been grounds for the denial of the license by the sheriff;

(d) The violation of any of the terms of this section; or

(e) The applicant is adjudicated guilty of or receives a withheld judgment for a crime that would have disqualified him from initially receiving a license.

(23) A person twenty-one (21) years of age or older who presents a valid license to carry concealed weapons is exempt from any requirement to undergo a records check at the time of purchase or transfer of a firearm from a federally licensed firearms dealer. Provided however, a temporary emergency license issued pursuant to subsection (6) of this section shall not exempt the holder of the license from any records check requirement.

(24) The attorney general must contact the appropriate officials in other states for the purpose of establishing, to the extent possible, recognition and reciprocity of the license to carry concealed weapons by other states, whether by formal agreement or otherwise. The Idaho state police must keep a copy and maintain a record of all such agreements and reciprocity recognitions, which must be made available to the public.

(25) Nothing in subsection (3) or (4) of this section shall be construed to limit the existing rights of a private property owner, private tenant, private employer, or private business entity. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to any property owned by the state of Idaho or its political subdivisions that is normally and habitually open to the public. Such limitation on the application of this subsection shall supersede Herndon v. City of Sandpoint, 531 P.3d 1125 (Idaho 2023).

(a) Such limitation on the application of this subsection shall apply whether such property is leased, rented, licensed, loaned, permitted, or occupied, whether for consideration or not.

(b) Any restriction on the carrying of concealed weapons pursuant to this subsection may only be invoked for public property owned by the state or its political subdivisions when the use of such property is for a private event by invitation only, for a commercial event that charges admission, or for any other event with restricted access whether admission is charged or not. For any such private event, commercial event, or other event, it must appear to a reasonable person that the general public does not have unrestricted access to the designated public property, or any subset of such property, that is normally and habitually open to the public.

(c) Nothing in this subsection relieves any political subdivision of the state of Idaho of its duties to convey or manage public property in accordance with Idaho law.

(d) Nothing in this subsection alters or amends the provisions of section 18-3302C or 18-3309, Idaho Code.

(26) The provisions of this section are hereby declared to be severable and if any provision of this section or the application of such provision to any person or circumstance is declared invalid for any reason, such declaration shall not affect the validity of remaining portions of this section.