Like every other U.S. state, Idaho has an official flower, tree and bird.
asserted
Idaho → have → flower
Soon, it could have an official gun, too.
uncertain
it → have → gun
On Election Day, voters across the state will face a question on the ballot, asking them to choose between six firearms, including a semi-automatic pistol and a rifle dubbed the “gun that won the west.”
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that → face → west
The results will guide lawmakers in selecting an official state gun.
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results → guide → gun
The effort is viewed by officials as an appropriate way to commemorate the role that bullets and steel played in the state’s history.
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bullets → view → history
Muskets, rifles and revolvers “powered westward expansion, enabling pioneers to hunt, defend families, and tame the frontier,” lawmakers wrote in a bill this year that provided for the ballot measure.
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that → power → measure
Guns certainly hold a prominent place in the state, where a majority of voters are Republican.
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majority → hold → voters
Idaho ranks fourth in overall gun ownership, with 60 percent of residents possessing firearms, according to Ammo.com.
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percent → rank → Ammo.com
It is one of just five states that still permits execution by firing squad.
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that → permit → squad
But, the ballot question might also serve another purpose.
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question → serve → purpose
It could motivate voters to get to the polls during an election year marked by dampened Republican enthusiasm — amid frustration over the cost of living and the war in Iran.
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It → motivate → Iran
“Turnout is always important,” Republican state Rep. Jason Monks, who supported the ballot question, told The Idaho Capital Sun.
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who → support → Sun
“When you have a lot of voter apathy, I think we don’t get as good of results
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we → have → apathy
as we could if we had an informed electorate that was actually out and voting
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that → have → electorate
“None of [the six guns] really have a significant place in the history of Idaho,” Neil Goodfellow, a board member of the Idaho State Rifle & Pistol Association, told The Associated Press.
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Goodfellow → have → Press
“My suspicion is a lot of folks are not going to have a clue” which to choose.
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lot → go → which
Many online commenters in Idaho-focused groups have suggested writing in “potato gun,” a nod to the state’s official vegetable and one of its most recognizable emblems.
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commenters → focus → emblems
Some critics say the measure reflects an obsession with guns in America, which leads the world in both civilian gun ownership and mass shootings, and where a majority of voters support stricter gun laws, according to Gallup.
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majority → say → Gallup
“I don’t think you can make everybody always happy,” Monks said.
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Monks → think → ?
If lawmakers move forward with the measure, Idaho would join about a dozen states that have chosen official state guns, including Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Alaska.
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that → move → Texas
Here are the six candidates to become the Gem State’s de jure gun:
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candidates → become → ?
Winchester Model 1894
The Winchester Model 1894, a lever-action repeating rifle, was first manufactured in the late 19th century.
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Model → repeat → century
It is known as one of the most popular hunting rifles.
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It → know → rifles
The 1 millionth model was presented to President Calvin Coolidge in 1927.
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model → present → 1927
The 2-millionth model was given to President Dwight Eisenhower in 1953, according to the magazine American Rifleman.
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model → give → magazine
Initially, the rifle was produced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, followed by the U.S. Repeating Arms, which stopped making the gun in 2006.
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which → produce → 2006
A company in Japan is still manufacturing reproductions.
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company → manufacture → reproductions
A second Winchester rifle is also on the ballot in Idaho; this one was introduced in 1873.
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one → introduce → 1873
The weapon earned the nickname the “gun that won the west” due to its association with westward expansion across North America in the 19th and 20th centuries.
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that → earn → centuries
Upwards of 700,000 were manufactured between 1873 and 1916, when production ceased, according to the National Park Service.
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production → manufacture → Service
The 1873 Colt single-action revolver was designed for the U.S. government by Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company, now known as Colt’s Manufacturing Company.
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revolver → design → Company
It was issued to members of the U.S. Army between 1873 and 1892, though law enforcement, ranchers and outlaws also snapped it up.
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enforcement → issue → it
The weapon was offered in upwards of 30 different calibers.
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weapon → offer → calibers
Dubbed “peacemaker,” the revolver is still in production today.
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revolver → dub → production
The Colt M1911 was adopted by the U.S. military in the early 20th century, and used as a sidearm by service members until 1985.
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M1911 → adopt → 1985
In an early test, 6,000 rounds of ammunition were fired through one pistol over the course of two days.
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rounds → fire → days
Not a single malfunction was recorded, according to the National Rifle Association.
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malfunction → record → Association
Civilians still use it in shooting competitions and as a concealed carry weapon.
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Civilians → use → weapon
Named after Canadian-born designer John C. Garand, the M1 Garand is a semi-automatic, gas operated rifle.
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Garand → name → Garand
It was used by U.S. service members in both the Korean War and World War II, during which over 5 million units were manufactured.
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units → use → which
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
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