The state Judicial Building.

The Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court issued an order today banning guns from all courthouses.

Chief Justice Mark Cady says in his order that after reviewing the policies on guns across the state he found 44 of the 99 counties prohibit weapons in courthouses, 11 prohibit them in all county building sand sixteen prohibit weapons on in areas controlled by the judicial branch.

The order says the policies were implemented to make courtrooms safer, but says “the inconsistent policies and gaps in protection must be corrected for our unified court system to uniformly protect all Iowans.”

The order says after considering all this information a statewide policy prohibiting all weapons from courtrooms, court-controlled spaces, and public areas of courthouses and other justice centers is required for safety.

The order does not cover law officers and their weapons.

Here’s the order:  Courthouse Weapons Ban PDF