A bill is out of the subcommittee phase at the State Legislature that would change the laws in Iowa requiring permits to carry firearms.
Senate File 165 would remove the requirement of obtaining a permit to carry or purchase a firearm from an individual, though it would not supercede any federal regulations on national vendors. State Representative Chris Hagenow, (R) District 19, says the legislation is an attempt to make gun ownership more convenient for law-abiding citizens, and ensuring their Second Amendment rights are protected. “There’s different ways to go about permitless firearm carrying. You know I think some of the things that I hear from folks is that once you are deemed legal to carry the weapon, then you shouldn’t have to carry a permit with you. But on the other side, there’s folks that are still concerned that folks that aren’t legally authorized to carry weapons, whether they’re felons or whatever, that there’s a process to make sure of it.”
Opposition to the bill has come from several different sources, including most law enforcement officials. Perry Police Chief Eric Vaughn says he understands where the desire for a permitless carry law comes from. However, his concern is that with no permit requirement, the regulations on making sure a gun owner is trained to use the firearm would no longer exist. “What I like is that permit makes that person at least do a little bit of training to carry that firearm. You know, it makes them kind of jump through the hoop, so not everybody’s out there just carrying a firearm and not being safe with it. To get a hunting license, we have to go through hunters safety class; to get a drivers license, we have to operate a motor vehicle. I know those things aren’t particularly addressed in the Constitution, but I think it goes along those same lines. I’d kind of like to see that permit process continue.”
To hear more about the current legislative session from Hagenow, listen to today’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program on air and at RaccoonValleyRadio.com. For more from Vaughn, listen to tomorrow’s program.