Idaho voters choose an official state gun

Idaho voters overwhelmingly supported the Winchester Model 1873 rifle as the official state gun over five other guns.

The rifle garnered around 31 percent of the vote as of early Wednesday morning, with the Winchester Model 1894 at around 25 percent, according to The Associated Press .

The Winchester Model 1873 was the focus of the 1955 film “The Gun that Won the West,” and Buffalo Bill — a famous figure in the Old West — declared that it was “The Boss,” according to Field & Stream .

The National Park Service stated it was majorly popularized as “everyman’s” rifle, noting that 720,610 were manufactured between 1873 and 1916, when production ended. It was developed in New Haven, Conn.

The Idaho advisory, which pitted six guns against one another, was to commemorate the U.S.’s 250th anniversary, state legislators said. The legislation that proposed the advisory cited the country’s long history with guns, including “citizen militias” arming themselves “with long rifles in the Revolutionary War to secure liberty.”

“In Idaho, explorers, such as Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in 1805 through 1806, depended on rifles for survival while crossing Idaho’s wilderness, hunting game and protecting against dangers,” it continued.

The vote is nonbinding in Idaho, as state lawmakers still have to consider legislation to formally designate the voters’ choice in a 2027 legislative session.

Eleven other states have selected a state gun in the last 15 years, with Utah and Arizona being the first to adopt their choices in 2011. Utah picked the Browning M1911 , which was designed by Utah native John Browning, while Arizona chose the Colt Single Action Army revolver, also known as the “Peacemaker.”

The “Peacemaker,” the Remington Model 700 bolt-action rifle, Colt M1911 and M1 Garand rifle were the other options for Idaho voters.