The Idaho Senate is endorsing legislation banning local government regulations on carrying or using knives.

Instead, the bill would give Idaho primacy over enacting regulations concerning knife possession.

The Senate voted 25-10 Monday to send the bill to the House.

However, according to an opinion from the Idaho Attorney General's Office, the proposed bill conflicts with current state laws that permit public schools to regulate knives on campuses and during events.

Sen. Lee Heider, R-Twin Falls, who is backing the bill, pulled out his folding Buck knife on the Senate floor to argue against cities that have conflicting knife ordinances.

Heider added that the Idaho Legislature has the ability to pass legislation next year that would help clarify school involvement in regulating knife usage.

During a Senate State Affairs Committee meeting earlier this month, Heider said while the bill will preempt any ordinances that local school districts have, it will not supersede federal laws that prohibit weapons from coming within 1,000 feet of a school.

The Coeur d'Alene School District has a weapons policy that was modified in recent years to prevent automatic expulsion for a student carrying a knife to school. If it is found that a student mistakenly carried a pocket knife to school, there are still consequences, but administrators have more flexibility to consider options other than expulsion.

Laura Rumpler, the district's director of communications, said administrators were unaware of the new legislation prior to its Senate passage on Monday.

"Our district administration is very concerned with the potential impacts of SB 1092 and the unintended consequences of a school district not being able to prohibit knives on our school grounds," Rumpler said.

Rumpler said the school board and administration have spent years crafting and adopting local school board policy in order to keep school children safe. School policies are in place in Coeur d'Alene that prohibit students from possessing knives on school grounds or at school events.

She said if the new legislation eliminates that, they will certainly oppose the bill as it makes its way through the House process.

"We are concerned SB 1092 will take our school safety efforts backward," Rumpler said. "We encourage the state Legislature to revisit the language of this bill to protect our school children and our weapons-free school environments."

North Idaho's state senators voted as follows:

AYES - Bob Nonini, Sheryl Nuxoll, Mary Souza and Steve Vick.

NAYS - Shawn Keough.