Gun advocacy group tours Idaho zoo while armed

[July 21, 2008]  BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- Idaho members of a group that advocates for the right to openly carry handguns in public are turning heads by touring Zoo Boise while packing guns on their hips.

Ten members of OpenCarry.org were allowed into the zoo Saturday after some initial confusion at the entrance about whether it was legal to bring an unconcealed handgun inside.

Group member Carol Schultz of Nampa says: "Coming to the zoo was something we could do together, like any family would."

Schultz says she's never without her handgun that she keeps in a holster attached to a heart-studded belt.

Zoo visitor Alex Lundgren of Boise questioned the group's decision to bring firearms.

He says: "Legal and appropriate are two different things."

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.