Idaho to choose a state gun in midterm polls

Idaho already has a state flower (the syringa), a state vegetable (the potato) and even a state dinosaur (oryctodromeus cubicularis). Now voters are being asked to select a state gun in Tuesday’s US midterm elections.

In a non-binding ballot measure, people in the northwestern state are being asked to select their favourite firearm from a list of six that could then become emblematic of their home.

There are four rifles, including two different Winchester models, along with a single-action revolver – the .45 Colt (already the state firearm of Arizona) – and an automatic pistol, the Colt M1911 (already the state firearm of Utah.)

Idaho’s House Majority leader Jason Monks, a Republican, introduced the proposal in March of this year to put the question on Tuesday’s ballot.

“We’ve got a lot of state items, state birds, and… I think we… were talking about a state pie flavour… but we don’t have a state gun,” he told fellow lawmakers.

“A lot of states do have state guns, and Idaho should have a state gun.”

If the measure passes the popular vote, the question will return to the legislature, where elected officials will have the final say.

Guns are common in Idaho, a largely rural state that does not require a license to possess or carry firearms, according to the National Rifle Association (NRA).

The NRA says 10 states already have a state gun – seven of which are rifles and three handguns.

Guns are widespread in the US, with a Pew Research poll conducted in 2024 showing around a third of the population own at least one.

The exact number of guns in the US is difficult to pin down, and federal law prohibits the creation of a national registry, but estimates suggest there are more firearms than people by a significant margin.