In a nonbinding vote, Idaho voters selected a lever-action rifle, dubbed the “gun that won the West.” to be the official weapon of the State.
The gun, the Winchester Model 1873, had the support of about 31 percent of Idaho voters, the highest share of any gun on the ballot in Tuesday’s general election, according to an unofficial source. results from the Idaho Secretary of State’s office at 12:30 p.m. pm Wednesday. By then, all 44 Idaho counties were reporting election results.
The vote marks the Idaho Legislature’s move to potentially join 10 other states with official weapons. Idaho, a state controlled by a large Republican majority, has strong protections for gun ownership, such as does not require a license for concealed carry within city limits.
None of the six weapons — placed on the ballot during a unanimous vote by the Legislature — received a majority vote.
Here’s how all the guns on the list fared with voters this year:
- Winchester Model 1873 “The gun that won the West” (.44-40): 31.1% of the votes, or 164,394 votes.
- Winchester Model 1894 (.30-30): 25.32% of the votes, or 133,859 votes.
- Colt Single Action Army revolver from 1873, or “Peacemaker” (.45 Colt): 15.26% of the votes, or 80,699 votes.
- Remington Model 700 (.30-06) bolt-action rifle: 12.45% of the votes, or 65,818 votes.
- Colt M1911 .45 automatic pistol (.45 ACP): 8.78% of the votes, or 46,405 votes.
- M1 Garand rifle (.30-06): 7.09% of the votes, or 37,500 votes.
None of the guns on Idaho’s ballot have any developmental ties to the state, unlike the official guns of some other states, like Utah.
If Idaho declared itself a state weapon, this recognition would expand the list of officially declared weapons. status symbolslike the state flower, the syringa; the state gemstone, the star garnet; or the state amphibian, the Idaho giant salamander.
House Majority Leader Jason Monks, R-Meridian, said in an interview last month that he pushed to put the question on the ballot to help increase voter turnout. The measure, called an advisory question, received the lowest share of votes cast of any statewide ballot measure.
About 70% of voters cast ballots in the state gun race, out of more than 731,000 voters who went to the polls this election, according to unofficial election results. Nearly 99% of voters voted on Proposition 1, a ballot initiative — which voters rejected — which sought to repeal Idaho’s near-total ban on abortion. About 97% of Idaho voters voted for each of the constitutional amendments: a successful amendment for declare English as the official state languageand a failure who would have revoked voters’ power to legalize marijuana and other drugs.
Idaho voters voted at a high rate this year in the midterm elections, even though they tend to vote less. About 69% of registered voters in the state cast their ballots, first data to show. But election officials expect turnout to drop by several points as they take into account voters registered to vote on Election Day.
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