What’s Idaho’s top gun? Here’s what voters chose among the six offered

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — The “Gun that Won the West” has apparently won over Idaho, too.

Voters on Tuesday preferred the Winchester Model 1873 rifle as their favorite to become Idaho’s state gun.

The Model 1873 had received 31.1% of the vote as of 6:39 a.m. Wednesday. The Winchester Model 1894 was next with 25.3%.

The vote, which was on a nonbinding advisory question, pitted six firearms against each other for the possible honorific. The state Legislature would have to take action to make the designation official.

House Majority Leader Jason Monks, R-Meridian, selected the candidates after researching and consulting with other lawmakers on which guns have historical significance to Idaho or the U.S., he told the Idaho Statesman in October.

“I like the term ‘iconic,’” Monks said. “I thought a little bit more historical than necessarily what’s popular today.”

The bill that brought forward the ballot question aimed to honor the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence by acknowledging the role of firearms in both Idaho’s and America’s histories.

“In United States history, citizen militias were armed with long rifles in the Revolutionary War to secure liberty,” the bill text states. “Firearms also powered westward expansion, enabling pioneers to hunt, defend families, and tame the frontier against threats like wildlife, outlaws, and harsh conditions. The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution protects the right to keep and bear arms as a safeguard against tyranny and for personal security. …

“Today, firearms support Idaho’s thriving hunting and recreational shooting culture,” it continues. “Idaho has built a strong tradition of responsible gun ownership while having one of the highest per-capita gun ownership rates in the nation.”

Around 1 a.m. on Nov. 4, the Model 1873 rifle was leading the Winchester Model 1894 rifle; the 1873 Colt Single Action Army revolver, often called the “Peacemaker”; the M1 Garand rifle popular among U.S. servicemen in the 20th century; the Colt M1911.45-caliber pistol; and the Remington Model 700 bolt-action rifle.

At least 10 other states have state guns, according to a 2023 blog post by the National Rifle Association, a gun-rights advocacy group. Some, like the Hawken Rifle of Missouri or the Kentucky Long Rifle of its namesake territory, were selected because they were designed or manufactured in-state. Others, like Texas’ Colt Walker used by Texas Rangers, were picked for their strong association with a place. Indiana has a specific single gun: William Henry Harrison’s personal Grouseland Rifle, which resides on his estate in Vincennes.

The Model 1873 was built by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company in New Haven, Connecticut, which manufactured the 1873 of its popular lever-action rifle for 50 years. Winchester itself branded it “the gun that Won the West” — a grand claim some historians dispute. But its place in Western iconography is beyond reproach. Anyone who has watched 20th century Western films — including the Jimmy Stewart classic that bears the gun’s name — has seen the rifle’s silhouette.

“Winchester Model 1873 rifles hold a prominent place in Western history and lore,” wrote the National Parks Service, adding that the gun served as an “accessible and popular everyman’s rifle.”