Group gives Iowa gun laws a "C"

A national group gives Iowa a “C” grade when it comes to the state’s gun laws. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence has analyzed state gun laws for the past seven years. The director of the Iowans for the Prevention of Gun Violence, John Johnson, says he agrees with the national groups Iowa grade. He says under the national Brady law, dealers are required to conduct a criminal background check on all licensed sellers. He says unlicensed sellers are not required to run the criminal background check, and he says they’d like to see that requirement added. Johnson says his group is trying to build support for the legislation, but doesn’t expect to try and push it through until 2005. Johnson says other long-term changes would be helpful. He says he’d like to see the Attorney General issue handgun safety standards under the consumer protection authority of the A-G. He says this would be to require firearms to have basic safety devices, such as locks. The Brady Campaign, named for former President Ronald Reagan’s Press Secretary, gave 31 states grades of “D” or “F.”