The Idaho State Legislature approved House Bill 932, placing an advisory question on the November 2026 ballot to determine the official state gun.

The ballot question will be as follows: 

“Which of the following guns should be designated as the state gun of Idaho? Please choose only one answer.

(a) Winchester Model 1894 (.30-30);

(b) Winchester Model 1873 "Gun that Won the West" (.44-40);

(c) 1873 Colt Single Action Army Revolver "Peacemaker" (.45 Colt);

(d) M1 Garand rifle (.30-06);

(e) Colt M1911 .45 automatic Colt pistol (.45 ACP); or

(f) Remington Model 700 bolt-action rifle (.30-06).”

The list of gun choices could increase before the 2026 election. House Bill 932 (HB 932) grants the Idaho Legislative Council, which is tasked with providing the Secretary of State with the official ballot language before election preparations, the ability to add options to the list of potential state guns. 

State Rep. Jason Monks (R-22B) introduced the measure to the state House of Representatives. HB 932 was approved unanimously among voting members in the state House and Senate. Gov. Brad Little (R) signed HB 932 into law on April 2, officially placing the measure on the November 2026 ballot. 

As of 2026, ten states have an official state gun. The official state gun of Arizona is a Colt Single Action Army Revolver, one of the options in the Idaho advisory question. 

The text of HB 932 stated the advisory question would observe the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence of the United States and “commemorate the role played by firearms in America's and Idaho's histories.”

The measure states, “Idaho has built a strong tradition of responsible gun ownership while having one of the highest per-capita gun ownership rates in the nation.” Specifically, it mentions Lewis and Clark, fur trappers, miners, and ranchers who have owned and used firearms during their respective periods.

In support of placing the question on the state ballot, Monks said, “We’ve got a lot of state items—state bird, I think we even had in State Affairs at one time we were talking about a state pie flavor. But we don’t have a state gun, and a lot of states do have state guns, and Idaho should have a state gun.”

Scott McIntosh, opinion editor of the Idaho Statesman, said that the measure is a costly, unnecessary action that will require the state to print thousands of additional pages for election ballots. He said, “[W]hy do we need a ballot measure to vote on what everyone’s favorite gun is? Why not just have an online poll, then bring the results to a germane committee and vote on it? An advisory vote is just that—advisory. It requires no action and carries no weight.”

In addition to the advisory question, Idaho voters will decide on two constitutional amendments in the November 2026 election. 

HJR 4 would provide that "only the [Idaho State Legislature] shall have power and authority" to legalize "marijuana, narcotics, or other psychoactive substances.” This would effectively stop the initiative process from being used to create or alter legislation surrounding psychoactive substances, including marijuana. HJR 6 would add language to the state constitution stating English is the official state language. English is already the state official language, but that provision is only in state statute, not the constitution.