County courthouses across Idaho would have to allow people to carry concealed weapons in certain areas under a new bill introduced Tuesday.
Most courthouses in Idaho are multipurpose, meaning they often house county offices where people pay taxes, file paperwork or meet with county commissioners.
“You can’t go in and pay any fees that you have. You can’t go in to vote. You can’t go in to even see your county commissioners without disarming yourself and they’re taking it all the way down to pocket knives and everything,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Brandon Mitchell (R-Moscow).
House Bill 621 would require counties to allow people to carry concealed weapons in those parts of the buildings.
“We put in protections for the courtrooms so they’re still [banned] in the courtrooms, as well as any … jail that houses prisoners or any person that’s under trial,” he said.
If passed into law, the changes could require some counties to reconfigure their security checkpoints.
The Ada County Courthouse for example, has metal detectors and scanners for personal belongings directly in front of the building’s entrance.
Mitchell said there’s a similar setup and the newly constructed Nez Perce County Courthouse in Lewiston.
Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen (R-Idaho Falls) said those potential renovations could be expensive for counties.
“It becomes a big problem as far as costs on counties right now that are trying to barely get by with their budgets,” Mickelsen said.
Despite her concerns, the House State Affairs Committee introduced the bill unanimously.
Nate Poppino, the communications manager for the Idaho Judicial Branch said in an emailed statement, "The security and safety of everyone within a courthouse is of important concern to the Judicial Branch."
"We are examining this proposal and the possible effects of basing security measures at the courtroom level within a building as contemplated by this bill. We look forward to having a healthy conversation on the fiscal impact to the state and counties," Poppino wrote.
Idaho is one of 29 states where you aren’t required to have a permit to carry a concealed weapon. State law allows most anyone to do so as long as they’re 18 years of age or older.
Courthouses are one of the few places Idaho law bans people from carrying concealed weapons. They’re also prohibited at juvenile detention facilities and prisons, as well as public and private K-12 schools in most cases.
Private businesses can also restrict weapons on their property.
Mitchell’s bill still needs to clear a public hearing before it could be considered by the entire House.
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