As part of their celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Idaho voters will go to the polls on November 3 to choose their state gun.
American voters are facing difficult election choices this Fall, and Idaho voters are no exception. They will have to pick one of six guns. And according to HB 932, which passed unanimously, legislators “may add additional guns to the list.” The Nov. 3 vote is advisory: the legislature will pick the actual state gun later this year.
Choosing an official state “thing” is a popular activity. There are state birds and state flowers. State rocks and state fruits. State dances and state foods. Idaho’s official state vegetable is the potato.
Idaho is actually late on the scene choosing an official firearm, which may seem unusual for a state where guns are so much a fact of life that the state is rated 50th in gun regulation by Every Town for Gun Safety.
Eleven other states have already picked their state gun: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia. Some state guns have a connection to that state: they were either invented there, or they were particularly effective there, or some other relevant factor led to their choice. Some state guns are classics. There are Winchesters, Colts, M-1s, and Brownings. The are no AR-15s, at least not yet.
In explaining why Idaho needs a state gun, HB 932 notes that firearms played an important role in the American Revolution and later, in westward expansion, “enabling pioneers to hunt, defend families, and tame the frontier against threats like wildlife, outlaws, and harsh conditions.” Since Idaho is one of a number of red states that bans DEI – diversity, equity, and inclusion were outlawed last year – HB 932's rationale for the importance of guns does not mention Europeans using them against Native Americans.
Illinois, where I live, has a lot of official state “things.” There’s an Illinois state tree, a state song, a state bird, a state mineral, a state dance, a state food (!), and a state fossil, the Tully Monster (a “monster” that was between 3 and 14 inches long).
Illinois does not have a state gun.
The Idaho act placing the state gun question on the ballot notes that voters may only select one gun from among the six choices. There is no way for voters to reject the idea of choosing a state gun. HB 932 also declares that the matter of choosing a state gun is an emergency: “An emergency existing therefor, which emergency is hereby declared to exist.” Attention must be paid.
Although HB 932 does not say so, only American citizens may vote to choose the state gun. Any noncitizen who manages to vote will likely be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Appropriately enough, the official method of execution in Idaho is the firing squad.
Idaho HB 932 also notes that “the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution protects the right to keep and bear arms as a safeguard against tyranny and for personal security.” That’s an interpretation of the amendment, not a transcription of what the Second Amendment actually says.
Although the existence of a second amendment implies the existence of a first amendment, HB 932 does not mention that the Constitution also has a First Amendment. The First Amendment protects the right to speak.
Idaho argues that the Second Amendment is behind the drive to pick a state gun. Yet, although many states have official slogans, no state has argued that the First Amendment necessitates choosing an official state word.
Unfortunately, an increasing number of conservative-led states have begun protecting “free speech” by silencing people who want to say something that the state doesn't like.
The First Amendment and the Second Amendment are supposed to have the same force: neither one is more important, or less important, than the other. But when free speech comes up against the right to bear arms, it’s usually the people with the guns who silence the people who want to say something.
So if you haven’t done so already, DON’T FORGET TO VOTE.
Election update: On November 3, Idaho voters chose the Winchester Model 1873 “Gun that Won the West” as their state gun. Meanwhile, the nation’s voters chose blue as their national color.
