Breaking: Twin Falls P.D. Denies ‘Gun Registry’ Accusation

Twin Falls Police Department Chief Craig Kingsbury has responded to allegations the TFPD is creating a de facto gun registration program.

The response from Kingsbury comes as several gun shops in Twin Falls say they are being threatened with misdemeanor charges if they do not use a program called LeadsOnline. Idaho Dispatch broke the initial story about the dispute last week; you can read the gun shop’s (QRF and Homestead Tactical) claims about the dispute here.

Here is the complete response from Kingsbury, which was posted on Facebook earlier today:

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“TFPD ADDRESSES FALSE POSTS REGARDING “GUN REGISTRY”

The City of Twin Falls and the Twin Falls Police Department recently became aware of false and deceptive social media posts regarding our intent to create a “gun registry.” We want to take this opportunity to set the record straight, as we believe these statements and posts are intentionally deceitful and misleading about our efforts to work with local business owners to reduce the number of stolen firearms sold and used by criminals in our community. We want to set the record straight and dispel any statements that paint our organization, employees, and efforts as being against the constitutional rights of gun owners.

We want to make it unequivocally clear that the Twin Falls Police Department is not now, nor has it ever been, interested in creating a local “registry” of gun owners. We are deeply offended by any accusation that we are anti-2nd Amendment or that we have proposed any type of “gun registry.” Our goal is simple: to prevent stolen firearms from being sold within our city while respecting the rights of law-abiding citizens. We value the input of our community and are dedicated to working together to find solutions that enhance public safety without infringing on individual rights.

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The City of Twin Falls is a staunch supporter of the 2nd Amendment, as one of our primary objectives is to support the Constitution of the United States. Our primary objective is, and always will be, to protect the rights of crime victims and private property owners while ensuring that stolen firearms do not enter our city’s marketplace.

When we became aware this past year that local businesses had, in fact, taken in stolen firearms and were not interested in complying with the City Code, we decided to have a transparent and open process to resolve this issue. We invited all local gun shop owners to multiple meetings to discuss the issue and potential solutions. In our commitment to transparency and collaboration, the Twin Falls Police Department hosted three informational sessions this year for all affected business owners. These meetings were designed to gather feedback, answer questions, and discuss how to implement these regulations in a way that works for everyone involved. At no point during these discussions has the City of Twin Falls proposed documenting the names of gun purchasers to create a “registry.”

We organized these meetings to ensure that all businesses were not dealing in stolen firearms and that their policies aligned with our community safety goals. Questions about the intent of the regulations came up during these meetings, which asks local gun dealers to record basic information about individuals from whom they purchased used firearms. We were asked at that time about our intent to create a gun registry City Code of Twin Falls, Title 3 Chapter 4. Our answer was and is a resounding “No.”

Our efforts in this matter are being misconstrued, as we are still gathering stakeholder information and input. As of today, no changes to the existing City Code have been proposed. We remain committed to finding a thoughtful and transparent solution to stopping the theft and sale of firearms in our community.

Craig S. Kingsbury
Chief of Police”

Idaho Dispatch has been told by Sen. Glenneda Zuiderveld that she has contacted Attorney General Raul Labrador’s office to ask about the definition of “gun registry” and whether the LeadsOnline program violates Idaho’s firearm preemption law (18-3302J) if pawn shops that sell used guns or gun shops that sell used guns are required to log customers’ personal information along with the firearm being sold.

Zuiderveld told Idaho Dispatch she has not received a response yet.

What do you think of this dispute? Let us know in the comments below.