Des Moines, Iowa — All courthouses in northwest Iowa, and around the state, will be gun-free zones, after an order signed Tuesday by Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Cady.
Cady says in his order that, after reviewing the policies on guns across the state, he found 44 of Iowa’s 99 counties already prohibit weapons in their courthouses. Additionally, Cady wrote that 11 counties prohibit guns in all county buildings, and 16 prohibit weapons in areas controlled by the judicial branch.
In O’Brien County, for example, the only area of the courthouse that had previously been a gun-free zone was the third floor, which houses the courtroom, Clerk’s Office and Judge’s Chambers.
In Tuesday’s decision, Cady writes, “the inconsistent policies and gaps in protection must be corrected for our unified court system to uniformly protect all Iowans.”
The order says, the new policy “serves to establish a safety perimeter for each courthouse or justice center that allows for the efficient implementation and enforcement of a weapons prohibition and is intended to prohibit the general public from entering any courthouse or justice center with a weapon.”
Cady’s order bans all weapons from courtrooms, court-controlled spaces, and public areas of courthouses and other justice centers occupied by the court system. The exception to the ban would be law enforcement officers who are acting within the scope of their duties.
To see Chief Justice Cady’s order, CLICK HERE.
