In Idaho, state Rep. Mark Patterson (R-Boise) is still allowed to carry a gun after pleading guilty to a charge of assault with intent to commit rape and getting caught leaving out his conviction information when filling out applications for a gun permit in 2007 and 2012, thanks to Idaho’s exemption for elected officials. Idaho is the only state that allows its elected officials to be excluded from the permit law, which denies permits to those previously convicted of felonies.

According to Spokesman-Review, these are the exemptions:

Idaho’s elected-official exemption applies to any elected official in the state, from school board members and highway district commissioners to the governor. A slew of others have been added since 1990, including jail guards and city and county officials.

Patterson was charged with rape twice: Once in Florida in 1977 and once in California in 1974. He pleaded guilty to the charge in Florida.

After finding out that Patterson failed to disclose this info on his permit application, Ada County Sheriff Gary Raney revoked his permit, but because of this exemption, it didn’t make a difference.

Patterson claims the Sheriff revoked his permit because he questioned the Sheriffs Association’s spending policy.

This whole thing is to silence me.

Sheriff Raney says that doesn’t change the fact that Patterson lied:

The questions that Mr. Patterson raises and the allegations he makes are irrelevant to the fact that he lied on his initial application and his renewal application. That and only that is the reason for our actions.

According to MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, these aren’t the only fibs Patterson has told.

Check it out in the video below.