Des Moines, Iowa — A bill dealing with a wide range of gun-related issues was the subject of a sometimes emotional hearing at the Iowa statehouse this past week.
Representative Matt Windschitl, a Republican from Missouri Valley, is a leading gun rights advocate in the House. Windschitl says his aim is to “protect Iowans at all costs.”
David Walker, the retired dean of Drake University’s law school, says the “stand your ground” provisions in the bill will give “psychological encouragement” to “vigilantes.”
Laural Clinton of Des Moines is a gun owner with a concealed weapons permit, but she opposes the bill. Clinton, who is African American, says she’s worried her sons will be targeted if Iowa gun owners get new “stand your ground” permission to fire in self-defense.
The far-reaching bill would grant lifetime permits to carry a concealed weapon. Iowans for Gun Safety president Carletta Knox-Seymour of Cedar Rapids called it an “idiot bill.”
The bill has backers, like the National Rife Association. Scott Rausch is state director for the N-R-A.
Iowa Firearms Coalition executive director Barry Snell also touted the bill during the hour-long forum.
On the Iowa Senate side of the capitol, Senator David Johnson of Ocheyedan is one of the sponsors of a so-called “Stand Your Ground” law that would remove the requirement to retreat from a location before force could be used in self-defense. At this point Johnson says he is unsure if “Stand Your Ground” will be a stand-alone bill in the Senate, or become part of a bigger omnibus bill, as it has in the House.
Johnson says he supports not only “Stand Your Ground”, but also “Constitutional Carry”, which would allow residents of Iowa to carry a concealed firearm without a permit.
The Iowa Gun Owners, Iowa Firearms Coalition, and National Rifle Association have been lobbying the Iowa legislature for such a law for the past several years.
