The Idaho House Judiciary & Rules Committee has advanced a bill preventing those found guilty of misdemeanor domestic violence from owning a gun.
"The presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation makes it five times more likely that a woman will be killed," the bill's sponsor, Rep. Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, said.
The legislation would prohibit people convicted of domestic violence from having guns by making it a misdemeanor for anyone who has been convicted within the last two years of assault or battery against a household member to possess a firearm. A violation of this provision would be punishable as a misdemeanor.
The proposal applies to people who are already prohibited by federal law from owning or possessing a firearm. Idaho has no corresponding state law.
Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia have passed similar legislation.
The bill now heads to the House floor for a vote.
