Yes, tasers are legal in Idaho. You can buy one, own one, and carry it openly or concealed without a permit, a license, or a background check. The reason is simple: Idaho Code 18-3302 explicitly excludes tasers, stun guns, pepper spray, and mace from the state’s definition of “deadly weapon,” which keeps them outside the concealed carry licensing rules that govern firearms.1Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 18-3302 – Concealed Weapons That said, Idaho restricts who can possess one, where you can take it, and how harshly it punishes misuse.
How Idaho Classifies Tasers
Everything about taser law in Idaho flows from one classification decision. Because 18-3302 lists tasers among the items that are not “deadly weapons,” the concealed carry licensing scheme that applies to firearms does not apply to them.1Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 18-3302 – Concealed Weapons
A separate statute, Idaho Code 18-3325, uses the term “conducted energy device” to describe any item that emits an electrical current, impulse, wave, or beam designed to incapacitate, injure, or kill.2Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 18-3325 – Possession of a Conducted Energy Device by Certain Persons That definition covers both projectile-style tasers and contact stun guns, and it is the language the state uses when it imposes possession limits or enhanced penalties.
Buying and Carrying a Taser
Purchasing a taser in Idaho is straightforward. No permit, license, or registration is required. No background check is mandated at the point of sale. You can order one online or pick one up at a retailer and start carrying it the same day, either openly or concealed, without any state credential.
Idaho law is also silent on a minimum age for buying or possessing a taser. The age thresholds in 18-3302 apply to deadly weapons, and tasers are explicitly excluded from that category.1Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 18-3302 – Concealed Weapons Idaho’s minor-in-possession-of-a-weapon law covers pistols, revolvers, and guns, not conducted energy devices. Most major manufacturers require buyers to be at least 18, but that is a company policy, not a state requirement.
Who Cannot Possess a Taser in Idaho
The main eligibility bar is a felony record. Under Idaho Code 18-3325, it is a misdemeanor for a convicted felon to possess a conducted energy device if that person has not finished serving a sentence of imprisonment, probation, or parole, or if the civil right to possess firearms has not been restored.2Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 18-3325 – Possession of a Conducted Energy Device by Certain Persons A felon whose rights have been restored through expungement, pardon, or another legal process may lawfully possess a taser again.
One point worth clarifying: Idaho’s felon-in-possession-of-a-firearm statute, 18-3316, applies only to firearms and carries felony-level penalties.3Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 18-3316 – Unlawful Possession of a Firearm The taser rule for felons sits in a different statute, and simple possession is charged as a misdemeanor.
Where You Still Cannot Bring a Taser
Being legal to carry generally does not mean legal everywhere. A few locations are off-limits or treated as such in practice.
Schools
Idaho Code 18-3302D makes it a misdemeanor to possess a “deadly or dangerous weapon” on school property or at school-sponsored activities.4Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 18-3302D – Possessing Weapons or Firearms on School Property This statute does not use Idaho’s own narrow definition of “deadly weapon.” It borrows the federal definition from 18 U.S.C. 930, which covers any weapon or device “readily capable of causing death or serious bodily injury.”5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities Because a taser can cause serious injury, it likely falls within that broader definition. A conviction carries up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.
Courthouses, Jails, and Juvenile Detention
Idaho Code 18-3302C prohibits carrying a concealed weapon in courthouses, jails, and juvenile detention facilities, though the statute is written around people who hold a concealed weapons license or who are carrying a concealed deadly weapon.6Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 18-3302C – Prohibited Conduct Whether it reaches a taser-only carrier is ambiguous on the statutory text. In practice, these buildings screen for weapons at entry and will confiscate tasers regardless. Treat them as off-limits.
Federal Buildings and Airport Checkpoints
Federal law prohibits dangerous weapons in federal facilities under 18 U.S.C. 930, using the broad “serious bodily injury” definition.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities Tasers are also banned from airport security checkpoints. The TSA prohibits them in carry-on luggage entirely. You may pack one in checked baggage only if the device is rendered inoperable by removing the battery or cartridge and declared to the airline at check-in.7Transportation Security Administration. Stun Guns/Shocking Devices The final call on whether any item passes screening rests with the TSA officer at the checkpoint. Taser laws vary by state, so check your destination before you land.
Using a Taser: Self-Defense and Penalties for Misuse
Carrying a taser is one thing. Using it on another person is where the legal exposure gets serious.
Idaho has a stand-your-ground law. Under Idaho Code 19-202A, you have no duty to retreat from any place you have a right to be, and you may use whatever force a reasonable person in your situation would consider necessary.8Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 19-202A – Defense of Self, Others and Certain Places The same statute creates a presumption of reasonableness when force is used against someone making an unlawful, forceful, or stealthy entry into your home, workplace, or occupied vehicle. In a prosecution for unlawful use of force, the state carries the burden of proving your actions were not justified. None of that is a license to deploy a taser in a verbal argument or road rage incident, where no reasonable person would fear imminent serious injury.
Idaho’s conducted energy device statute reserves its heaviest consequences for misuse. Using a taser during the commission of a felony is itself a separate felony, sentenced consecutively to the underlying offense. Using one during certain misdemeanor crimes of violence doubles the normal penalties for those offenses. The statute names Idaho’s assault and battery provisions at sections 18-901, 18-903, 18-917, and 18-918.2Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 18-3325 – Possession of a Conducted Energy Device by Certain Persons A bar-fight battery that would otherwise be a simple misdemeanor becomes twice the jail time and twice the fine, with the enhanced penalty running consecutively.
Idaho doesn’t require any training to own or carry a taser. Taking a short course on use-of-force principles and safe handling before you ever need the device is still worth doing. The gap between a lawful self-defense deployment and a criminal charge often comes down to understanding, in the moment, what the law actually allows.