Is Now the Time to Ban Guns in the Gem State?

Owning a gun is a major part of living in Idaho. More people likely own a gun than not, and if you don't own one you likely live in the wrong state. With so many shootings that have taken place over the years, there has been concern and discussions about gun laws and whether firearms should be banned, the laws should be tweaked, or how to stop these shootings from happening. In the grand scheme of things, for how many gun owners there are in Idaho, you rarely hear of or see shootings taking place. The Gem State has found a way to keep things under control, but recently there were a couple of shooting incidents in the Magic Valley that have raised the questions once again, should guns be banned, should the laws be tweaked, or what can be done to make sure these incidents don't occur?

Guns in Idaho

Take a poll at your work of who owns a gun, and the majority, if not all, would likely raise their hand. Ask who is currently holding, and if they are being honest, likely more than half will raise their hand. Guns are a major part of living in the state of Idaho, and minus a few incidents, typically they are not misused. Last week in Twin Falls, on the same night, there were two separate incidents involving guns. One was a man firing a gun in the Target parking lot, where thank goodness, nobody lost a life, but in another incident, a man was shot and killed, after allegedly a thief shot him. With two incidents on the same night involving shots fired, is now the time to question gun laws once again in Idaho and perhaps tweak them, or even ban guns in the state? 

Should Guns be Banned in Idaho? 

The simple answer to the question in the title and above is, no. Guns do not need to be banned in Idaho. While the incidents that took place last week are the bad side of owning guns, the history of Idaho is that most know how to properly use them. When you look at how many people own guns in Idaho and then look at how many reports involve fatal shootings, mass shootings, or an incident involving guns, the history shows that Idaho is not commonly involved in such business. The gun industry is a major industry in Idaho, and banning guns would ruin many businesses, but also lead to an outcry from residents. A ban or change in law would not stop people from owning guns, as they would likely find alternative ways to get them. These incidents occurred last week, and while guns were used, they were not the problem, they were only a part of what took place. 

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Guns can be bad and shouldn't be owned or used by everyone, but Idaho is not the place to do it. Knowing so many own them and know how to use them is likely a reason why nobody attempts anything because so many people would be ready to retaliate. From time to time a situation like the ones last week will happen, but when they are rare enough to grab the headlines, it is proof that more often than not gun control in Idaho isn't a problem. The gun laws in the Gem State seem to be fine for now, and no ban should be occurring anytime soon, if ever.