House Bill 631a, designed to update Idaho state law to meet the requirements set forth in the Federal NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 (NIAA), needs your support to stay alive this session.
People who have been placed under certain types of mental health-related orders are banned by Federal law from possessing firearms. The NIAA established clear standards for states to use in crafting laws to give persons subject to these prohibitions a means of relief. This legislation, under the guidelines established by the NIAA, would allow a court to grant relief from the federal prohibition upon a finding that the petitioner will not be likely to act in a manner dangerous to public safety and that the granting of the relief would not be contrary to the public interest.
State Representative Raul Labrador (R-14) stood up to heavy questioning from hostile members of the committee, the representative from the Idaho State Police, and the representative from the Attorney Generals’ Health and Welfare division. He did an excellent job of answering their questions to defend this valuable piece of legislation for the people of Idaho. HB 631 would benefit public safety by authorizing the reporting of disqualifying information to the NICS database and by implementing measures that Congress mandated as a condition of states receiving certain federal crime control grants.
Do not let this important piece of legislation die in the Idaho Legislature. Please contact your legislator and respectfully urge them to support HB 631. For contact information for your State Representative and State Senator click here.