Idaho's permitless carry law does not override a federal prohibition. If you're relying on Idaho's permitless carry and you're within that 1,000-foot bubble, federal law may still apply to you.

Most guys I've talked to at the counter assume that Idaho's permitless carry is a blanket green light. It isn't. The federal Gun-Free School Zones Act doesn't care what Boise passed or what the legislature signed — and 1,000 feet is a bigger radius than it sounds when you're talking about neighborhoods where schools sit on residential streets.

The vehicle exception has a practical catch: the NRA-ILA summary of Idaho law specifies the firearm must be secured and locked in the vehicle "in an unobtrusive, nonthreatening manner." A pistol sitting on your dashboard while you drop off your kid isn't going to cut it.

If you're a parent doing the morning school run with a pistol on your hip, that firearm needs to be in the vehicle — locked, out of sight — before you pull into the lot. Worth thinking through before the first day of school rather than after.

The notification to law enforcement piece isn't optional. It's a requirement built into the statute, and it exists so responding officers know who the armed staff member is before they walk through the door.

This is the part of HB 89 that doesn't get enough attention. A school employee carrying under this provision isn't anonymous — local PD, the sheriff, and ISP all get a photo and a copy of the license. That's a real operational consideration, not just paperwork.

If you carry regularly and you've ever dropped a kid off at school, picked someone up from a college dorm, or driven through a school-heavy neighborhood — how did you handle it, and did you know the federal 1,000-foot rule was in play at the time?

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