• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Crime / Courts / Gun rights advocates seek to amend Iowa Constitution

Gun rights advocates seek to amend Iowa Constitution

January 26, 2018 By O. Kay Henderson

A proposed amendment to the Iowa constitution on gun rights has cleared one hurdle in the Iowa House, but it’s the first of many required steps before the constitution could be changed.

The proposed amendment states that Iowans have a “fundamental right…to acquire, keep, possess, transport, carry, transfer and use” firearms for “legitimate purposes.” It also indicates courts should strictly scrutinize any attempt to regulate guns.

Republican Representative Matt Windschitl of Missouri Valley is one of the amendment’s key backers. “The proposal before us is to put Second Amendment protections into our state constitution if the voters so choose once this gets on the ballot,” Windschitl said during a House subcommittee hearing yesterday.

Amending the state constitution isn’t done quickly. The Iowa House and Seante would have to approve this specific language this year and then again sometime in the next two years before it would be submitted to voters in the 2020 election.

Richard Rogers of the Iowa Firearms Coalition said Iowa is one of only six states that does not have gun rights spelled out in its constitution.

“This simple amendment will ensure that these basic rights are protected for future generations and will not be affected by shifting and transitory political winds,” Rogers said.

Tom Chapman, executive director of the Iowa Catholic Conference, said people have a right to defend themselves, but the church opposes this amendment.

“The bishops have been very strong advocates for regulation of firearms in the past and we’re concerned that this amendment, if it becomes part of our constitution, would make it very difficult to have any future regulation,” Chapman said.

Chapman said it could also lead courts to overturn current regulations. Connie Ryan of the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa agreed.

“We simply believe that it opens up a whole new can of worms of what we’re talking about in the state of Iowa,” Ryan said.

Supporters of the amendment dispute the idea it could un-due current regulations. They poitn to a case in Missouri, where a similar amendment was just passed, and where a felon lost his lawsuit to regain his gun rights.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Crime / Courts, News, Politics / Govt Tagged With: guns, Legislature

Featured Stories

Exhibit features lesser known works of Grant Wood

Testing finds 21 new CWD cases in deer

It may become a crime in Iowa to use fake urine in workplace drug tests

February trending 18 degrees below average temperature

Iowa House Education Committee votes to end tenure at UI, ISU, UNI

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

Iowa State looks to avoid winless Big-12 season

New look and new format at girls’ state basketball

Youngstown State takes action against assistant football coach

Iowa’s Jack Nunge lost for the season

Key stretch begins for #9 Iowa

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2021 · Learfield News & Ag, LLC