Des Moines, Iowa — Two rather controversial and contentious bills were passed earlier this week by the Iowa House, and now move on to the Iowa Senate. The first was the Omnibus Firearms Bill, House File 517, which made some sweeping changes to Iowa gun laws.
Orange City Republican State Representative Skyler Wheeler says one of the biggest changes the gun bill brings forward is the “Stand Your Ground” provision.
Another provision of the bill would allow persons who possess a Permit To Carry Weapons to go armed in the Iowa Capitol building.
Some of the other provisions of the Omnibus Bill would protect the privacy rights of permit holders, make the hunter’s safety course a valid training for a Permit To Carry Weapons, and clarifies the current law barring political subdivisions from restricting the use of firearms…otherwise known as preemption.
Wheeler says one thing that didn’t make it into the final text of the bill was “Constitutional Carry”.
Another hotly debated bill that was finally passed by the Iowa House Thursday is the Election Integrity Bill, which is a Voter ID law. Wheeler said he was a strong supporter of the bill, and he talked about the forms of identification that the bill deems acceptable.
Wheeler says there is what he calls a “fail-safe” in the bill to prevent voter disenfranchisement.
Both bills now move on to the Iowa Senate, where they face an uncertain future.
