Linda Upmeyer
House Speaker Linda Upmeyer says it is “certainly possible” legislators may draft a bill to address the safety concerns raised after the latest mass shooting in a U.S. school.
“I don’t know what’s going to be included right now, today,” Upmeyer said, “but I think the conversations will be broad as we move forward.”
Upmeyer is hoping legislators get feedback this weekend from Iowa school administrators.
“I think this really needs to focus on school safety and the needs of every school could be a little different,” Upmeyer says, “so I want to hear from them as well.”
Governor Kim Reynolds convened a meeting of state education and public safety officials on Wednesday to review existing school safety measures in Iowa. Earlier this week, Reynolds attended National Governors Association meetings where the Valentine’s Day shooting deaths of 17 people in Parkland, Florida were widely discussed.
“The existing system failed those students and those families and those educators on every single level,” Reynolds says.
Reynolds faults local Florida officials for missing warning signs about the student charged with murdering 17 in his school. Reynolds is willing to consider a so-called “red flag” law that would give Iowa police authority to temporarily seize guns from someone who’s a danger to themselves or others. However Reynolds says there would have to be adequate safeguards so the law doesn’t violate Second Amendment gun rights.