Idaho voters will select a preferred state firearm on Tuesday, Nov. 3, but the advisory ballot question will only record their choice; a later legislative decision is required for an official designation.
Listed under House Bill 932, the question asks voters to choose one candidate. The Idaho Secretary of State’s voter guide names six options: the Winchester Model 1894 (.30-30), Winchester Model 1873 (.44-40), 1873 Colt Single Action Army Revolver (.45 Colt), M1 Garand rifle (.30-06), Colt M1911 .45 automatic Colt pistol (.45 ACP) and Remington Model 700 bolt-action rifle (.30-06).
The guide identifies the M1 Garand and Colt M1911 as semiautomatic firearms. It connects the Winchester Model 1873’s “Gun that Won the West” nickname to the period when settlers moved west and established frontier communities. The Colt revolver is listed as the “Peacemaker.”
The ballot’s result would not itself give any firearm official status. The voter guide says lawmakers would have to approve a designation in a future session.
Idaho House Majority Leader Jason Monks said the measure was intended in part to encourage turnout in the midterm election, the Associated Press reported. “There’s not much more patriotic in Idaho than guns,” Monks said.
