Whitefish High School junior Chet Billi got excited earlier this year when a bill that would have allowed concealed firearms to be carried by students and faculty on college campuses started working through the state Legislature.

Senate Bill 143, sponsored by Sen. Cary Smith, was later defeated by a 51-49 House vote, but Billi’s drive to see gun restrictions loosened on campuses wasn’t.

Last week, Billi, 17, submitted a citizen’s initiative proposal for the 2016 Montana ballot that would give K-12 teachers the option to carry concealed firearms on school grounds.

He withdrew his initiative on Monday but plans to resubmit it to the state in the next couple of days after reworking the language.

“I am an avid firearms enthusiast,” said Billi, who was born in Alaska and raised in Montana. “Hunting and firearms have been a big part of my family and the culture of Alaska and Montana. It bothers me that after tragedies such as Sandy Hook and Columbine, the first thing people want to do is take guns out of the hands of the victims and those who could have prevented the attack.”

Noting that the proposed law would not require anyone to carry a firearm at school, he said he thinks the measure would serve as a deterrent for would-be shooters and allow responsible gun owners to respond immediately, without having to wait for the police to show up, should a shooter start firing in a school.

“Even at Whitefish, if the cops are only a couple minutes away, that’s a lot of time for a shooter to make a lot of carnage,” Billi said. “I think if there is a teacher that decides to carry a firearm it could be stopped very quickly.”

He said he worked closely with Montana Shooting Sports Association President Gary Marbut, who helped with the technical work of drafting language for the initiative.

“By the time the 2016 election rolls around — even if my referendum doesn’t go through — we’re hoping we can present these as campaign issues,” Billi said.

The language in citizen-proposed ballot issues much be approved by the state Legislative Services Division and pass a legal review by the state attorney general. Following approval of the proposal, at least 5 percent of the voters in each of the state’s 34 legislative districts must sign off in support of the measure before it lands on the ballot.

Billi said he plans to register to vote shortly after his 18th birthday this September, in time to be able to vote in his first election. Having done some work for the election campaign of U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., he said his interest in pursuing politics after graduation has grown recently.

“My dream has been to enlist in the Army and become an Army Ranger for several years now,” he said. “I’m very patriotic and want to do anything I can to serve my country, and I’m torn because I feel like I could do just as much good, if not more, in politics. ... There’s not many people left in politics that are pure, you could say.”

Reporter Samuel Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.