The 2026 Idaho Official State Gun Question is a legislatively referred advisory question that will be decided alongside the November 2026 elections. Idaho voters will decide between six guns which they would prefer to be the official state gun in the non-binding referendum.
Background
As of 2023, ten U.S. states have an official state gun.[3]
Legislation for question
On March 18, 2026, State Representative Jason Monks introduced House Bill 932, the bill containing the advisory question.[4] Monks said the intention behind it was tied to the 250th anniversary of the United States' independence.[5] The bill received 68 votes in favor in the state house with 2 not voting, and 32 votes in favor in the state senate, with 3 not voting.[4] On April 2, Governor Brad Little signed the bill into law, placing the advisory question on the ballot.[6]
Weapons
The legislation gives the Idaho Legislative Council the ability to add more weapons to the list.[5] The six weapons voters will choose between in the non-binding referendum if no more are added are the following:[2]
- 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)
- Remington Model 700 bolt-action rifle (.30-06)
Reception
In an opinion article, Scott McIntosh of the Idaho Statesman agreed with the premise that Idaho should have an official state gun, but felt that the measure "could be an online poll" and agreed with State Representative Monica Church that it would add more pages to everyone's ballot, making it more "onerous".[5]
References
- ↑ "Idaho Official State Gun Question (2026)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
- 1 2 "House Bill No. 932" (PDF). Idaho Legislature. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
- ↑ Gross, W.H. "Chip" (October 31, 2023). "10 American States with Official Firearms". NRA Family. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
- 1 2 "House Bill 932". Idaho Legislature. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
- 1 2 3 McIntosh, Scott (March 21, 2026). "Do we really need an advisory vote to pick an Idaho state gun? | Opinion". Idaho Statesman. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
- ↑ Thacker, Alexis (April 3, 2026). "Idaho voters to decide official state gun ballot measure in the November 2026 election". Ballotpedia News. Retrieved April 4, 2026.