Gun owners in Idaho and West Virginia can now carry their weapons concealed without a permit, allowing Gun Owners of America (GOA) to claim victory over “Bloomberg’s billions.”
“For all the talk about Bloomberg’s billions, Daddy Warbucks had his lunch handed to him in Idaho and West Virginia,” GOA’s Erich Pratt told Breitbart News. “Kudos to grassroots gun owners in both states for picking up their phones and calling their legislators. Gun rights activists demonstrated once again that when politicians feel the heat, they see the light.”
Breitbart News previously reported that the West Virginia House overrode Governor Earl Ray Tomblin’s (D) veto of permitless carry on March 4 and the Senate followed suit on March 5. Permitless carry goes into effect in West Virginia in June. And on March 25 Idaho Governor Butch Otter (R) signed permitless carry into law. The ability to carry concealed without a permit takes effect in Idaho on July 1.
GOA backed the efforts to abolish permit requirements in both states. After securing victory, they relished the way they had been able to join forces with the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance to overcome Michael Bloomberg’s relentless efforts against the permitless carry provision.
The victory in Idaho was especially gratifying, as residents ignored the thousands upon thousands of dollars of advertising that Michael Bloomberg was pouring into the state. Bloomberg bought several ads — encouraging people to call Governor Butch Otter in opposition to Constitutional Carry.
Initially, the calls were running 5-1 against the GOA-backed bill, although it appeared that many of the anti-gun calls were coming from out-of-state. Gun Owners of America responded by joining the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance (ISSA) in encouraging phone calls into the Governor’s office — and the ratio soon improved to a 50-50 split.
ISAA was a powerful force working inside the state for Constitutional Carry — providing daily alerts and Facebook postings on the bill’s status.
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.