Idaho voters decide nonbinding ballot question on a state gun
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Idaho voters are choosing among six firearms in a nonbinding advisory vote on the state's official gun.
The result only guides lawmakers, who plan to make the final pick next year.
Background
The measure, House Bill 932, was introduced by Idaho House Majority Leader Jason Monks, a Republican state representative from Meridian, and signed into law by Gov. Brad Little on April 2 after passing the House 68-0 and the Senate 32-0. Lawmakers framed it as marking America's 250th birthday and commemorating the role of firearms in the state's and nation's history. Idaho has among the highest rates of gun-owning households nationally — about 3 in 5 adults, per a RAND estimate — and the NRA says 10 states already have a state gun.
How it unfolded
- Mar 1, 2026Idaho House Majority Leader Jason Monks, a Republican, introduces the proposal to put the state gun question on the ballot.
- Apr 2, 2026Gov. Brad Little signs House Bill 932 into law; it passed the House 68-0 and the Senate 32-0.
- Apr 3, 2026Ballotpedia News reports the Legislature approved House Bill 932, placing an advisory question on the November 2026 ballot.
- Oct 29, 2026The New York Times reports the Legislature plans to make the final decision next year.
- Nov 2, 2026AFP reports the non-binding measure asks voters to select a favorite firearm from a list of six.
- Nov 3, 2026Idaho voters vote on the nonbinding advisory question asking which of six guns should be designated the state gun of Idaho.
Who’s saying what
- Support
- Monks said a lot of states have state guns and Idaho should have one, and that the question could boost turnout amid voter apathy.
- Caution
- Idaho State Rifle & Pistol Association board member Neil Goodfellow said none of the six guns has a significant place in Idaho's history and many voters won't have a clue which to choose.
- Expert
- Joan Burbick, a professor emeritus who has studied U.S. gun culture, said the effort equates gun ownership with a romanticized version of the West, where to own a gun is to be a patriot.
- Party
- The Southern Idaho DSA chapter called a state gun silly but endorsed the M1911 for its World War II use against fascism and the year 1911 in Idaho socialist history.
Still unverified
Many online commenters in Idaho-focused groups have suggested writing in "potato gun," a nod to the state's official vegetable. Monks said he had no intention to leave out the .44 Magnum and hinted it could still become the state gun, though voters can't pick it in November.