Statewide Iowa — Students at Northwest Iowa Community College, along with all of the state’s other community colleges, as well as university campuses in Ames, Iowa City and Cedar Falls would be able to carry stun guns on campus if a bill that is likely to pass next week does become law.
Senator Amy Sinclair, a Republican from Allerton, says the reality is there’s an elevated risk of assault on college campuses.
Representative Matt Windschitl, a Republican from Missouri Valley, says current Iowa law lets anyone above the age of 18 carry a stun gun, but some public colleges and universities have campus-wide bans on the devices.
Windschitl says stun guns are not lethal.
Nine senators and 37 members of the Iowa House opposed the bill. Representative Mary Mascher, a Democrat from Iowa City, says a college campus — especially a football stadium — is not a place you’d want stun guns.
Representative Chris Hall, a Democrat from Sioux City, opposed the bill, suggesting it is condescending to women.
The proposal won approval in the Iowa Senate in mid-March. The House voted to add language that would prohibit anyone with a felony conviction from carrying a stun gun on a public college or university campus in Iowa. The Senate is expected to approve that caveat this coming week and send the bill to the governor for her review.
Photo Caption: Senator Amy Sinclair
