Update on Iowa’s REAL Right-to-Carry Bill
Iowa –-(AmmoLand.com)- To recap, currently in Iowa if you want to carry a weapon to defend yourself or your family you need to get permission from your sheriff to do so. In certain parts of the state you can get these permits pretty easily.
In others, you can not get permits at all. There is no one else to apply to either, leaving the sheriff with the complete power to decide who’s life is worthy of defense and whose is not.
Further, in many counties, while you can get a permit, it can be regulated so heavily as to be virtually worthless – leaving you with a permit that is only good in very specific cases.
Iowa Gun Owners is promoting the REAL Right-to-Carry bill as the answer to this abusive system. The REAL Right-to-Carry Bill would allow any law abiding Iowan the right to carry a weapon for self-defense WITHOUT having to first beg government permission. This is patterned after the common sense gun laws in Vermont and Alaska where permits are not required of law abiding citizens.
Last session, Iowa Gun Owners, working with our bill sponsor Rep. Kent Sorenson, was able to secure a tie procedural vote on this historic legislation.
This session our bill, HF596, is lodged in sub-committee. Continue reading below for more information of who is supporting the REAL Right-to-Carry bill and who is not.
Enemies of the REAL Right-to-Carry
Politicians are human beings, just like you and me. As such they get nervous from time to time. Right now in Des Moines, there are a lot of nervous anti-gun politicians who are watching the days go by and trying to figure out a way to win their re-election bids later on this year. They are aware of the anti-incumbent wave that is sweeping the nation and they are scared.
So in an attempt to bolster their image with the voters in their districts these anti-gun and closet anti-gun politicians are seeking political cover.
This is only possible if another gun bill, besides the REAL Right-to-Carry bill, is introduced into the General Assembly that is so compromised that even an anti-gunner can vote for it.
Unfortunately, one such bill has emerged this session. House File 2255, sponsored by Rep. Clel Baudler, would do the following things:
- Still require that law abiding Iowans beg permission from the government to be able to carry a weapon for self-defense.
- Raises the age on applicants for a carry permit from the present 18, to 21.
So if you are a veteran, returning home from war and are still under the age of 21, you would not be able to carry in Iowa because you are not considered mature enough to carry a gun. Even for those who are not vets, this bill denies young Iowans their right to keep and bear arms for an extra 3 years!
Incorporate federal language into Iowa code regarding mental health that makes it easier for some psychologist to deny you your gun rights based on their say so.
This dangerous policy, as interpreted by the BATFE, has lead to some 200,000 vets having their gun rights taken from them. This has been aptly tracked by Gun Owners of America and more information can be found about this on their website. This issue is so divisive that just last week, on Capitol Hill in Washington, the Veterans Affairs Committee unanimously, and with bi-partisan support, passed a bill out of their committee that would finally provide vets with the needed due process protections that they currently lack. Clearly even the politicians in Washington realize how abused this current language is – and the Baudler bill would bring that same mess into Iowa.
Incorporate the dangerous Lautenberg language into Iowa code. This is the idea that anyone with a domestic violence misdemeanor conviction can’t possess or carry a handgun. While this is federal law right now, it’s not been put into Iowa code yet and we see no reason why a “pro-gun” bill should do so. In fact, recently the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the conviction of a man who was convicted of having a weapon after having been declared prohibited due to a domestic violence conviction.
The court said that the defendant’s 2nd Amendment rights were not forfeited on account of a mere misdemeanor.
We could not agree more – and we can’t understand why anyone would want to throw up more roadblocks to gun ownership here in Iowa.
We could go on – but likely you get the idea. (In addition, IGO members deserve a major round of applause here because as bad as this bill is, it was far worse in its original form. Your constant pressure being expressed to your elected officials regarding this bill has directly impacted it and made it “better” according to sources at the Capitol.)
What is starting to become evident now at the Capitol is that those who are not truly pro-2nd Amendment want to kill the REAL Right-to-Carry bill by leaving it stuck in committee where they will never have to vote on it. Instead, these anti-gun folks want to be able to vote on another bill, being touted as pro-gun, to receive the political cover for being pro-gun, when as we’ve shown above, this bill is clearly not.
If these politicians want to prove their commitment to your gun rights they should simply move the REAL Right-to-Carry bill out of sub-committee and then onto the floor and pass it.
Anything less than that is making concessions up front to anti-gun politicians. Why would a “pro-gun” organization, or Representative, make this kind of deal?
We’ve spoken to Representative Baudler about this but he needs to hear from you as well. Please take a moment to contact Representative Baudler and demand that he support the REAL Right-to-Carry bill – the same bill he voted in support of last legislative session – by working to move it off the sub-committee where it currently is stuck. (Rep. Baudler is on the sub-committee and could do a lot to see it passed onto the full committee.) Tell him that his bill is dangerous as it takes guns out of the hands of many Iowans and makes dangerous concessions to the anti-gun lobby in Des Moines.
You can contact Representative Baudler by calling 641.431.3309
In addition, in the last few days at the Capitol, representatives from Iowa Gun Owners have received very hostile responses from Rep. Ray Zirkelbach. Zirkelbach, who says he is in favor of gun rights, refuses to even speak to us at the Capitol and needs to hear from you as well. Rep. Zirkelbach can be reached at 319.480.0296
You should know that the calls you make and the emails that you send are having a major impact at the Capitol. I see it every day down there. Elected officials are telling us daily that they are receiving constant emails and phone calls regarding the REAL Right-to-Carry. Some have even asked us to stop the calls. We tell them that the calls will stop when they vote the right way. So thank you for all your work so far and please take a moment to call these individuals today. In addition, you can email them the pre-written email below by using the following email addresses:
- clel.baudler@legis.state.ia.us
- ray.zirkelbach@legis.state.ia.us
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Pre-Written Email
Dear Repsentative _____________________,
As a 2nd Amendment supporter in Iowa I am very concerned about House File 2255 that is currently being touted as a pro-gun bill.
This bill makes it easier for Iowans to lose their gun rights if they are: young Iowans, vets returning from military service, or people with certain mere misdemeanor convictions.
Any bill that weakens Iowa’s gun laws is a bad bill and I would urge you to drop your support of this bill and instead support the REAL Right-to-Carry bill. This bill eliminates the need for law-abiding Iowans to have to seek government permission for the right to defend themselves and their families. This bill, House File 596, needs your full support. I would ask that you drop your support of the dangerous HF2255 and support HF596 instead.
2nd Amendment enthusists across Iowa are now watching to see who truly supports the 2nd Amendment and who just says they do.
Sincerely,
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Supporters of the REAL Right-to-Carry
Often you receive alerts from us telling you about an anti-gun politician who needs to hear from you immediately about some anti-gun bill he’s promoting or an anti-gun vote that he needs to vote no on.
Today I’m happy to tell you about some supporters of the REAL Right-to-Carry bill, besides our bill sponsor Rep. Kent Sorenson, at the Capitol that have stood fast and not supported a compromised carry bill.
These Representatives needs to hear from you as well – they are under a lot of pressure – yet they have remained true to the 2nd Amendment.
They are:
- Rep. Matt Windschitl (matt.windschitl@legis.state.ia.us)
- Rep. Jason Schultz (jason.schultz@legis.state.ia.us)
- Rep. Chris Hagenow (chris.hagenow@legis.state.ia.us)
Please take a moment to email these Representatives and thank them for their stance on the 2nd Amendment. Your calls and emails played a major role in keeping their feet anchored and they deserve to hear from you now.
Yours for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms,
Aaron DorrExecutive Director
Iowa Gun Owners
About:
Iowa Gun Owners (IGO) was formed in January of 2009 to combat the oppressive gun laws in the State of Iowa. IGO does not believe that you, as a law abiding citizen, should have to beg permission from the government to be able to defend yourself and your family. That’s why we are working so hard to get a Vermont/Alaska style carry law passed in Iowa. In these states, unless you are a convicted felon or otherwise barred from possessing weapons, you don’t need a permit to carry a gun for self-defense! Join us now! Visit: www.iowagunowners.org