N orthwest Iowa — Northwest Iowans who carry a firearm for self-defense will see their rights protected if a bill passed by the Iowa Senate is signed into law. The bill would extend legal protections to Iowans who use a firearm in self-defense. Under the so-called “stand your ground” proposal, people in Iowa cannot be charged with a crime or sued if they shoot to protect themselves and their property not only in their OWN homes and businesses, but anywhere they are legally permitted to be.
That’s Senator Brad Zaun, a Republican from Urbandale. Zaun and 32 other senators voted in favor of the bill. Seventeen senators, including Democrat Pam Jochum of Dubuque, voted no.
The bill includes other gun-related measures. Republican Senator Dan Dawson of Council Bluffs says it would let Iowans carry a gun into the state capitol if they have a permit for a concealed weapon.
Senator Janet Petersen, a Democrat from Des Moines, opposes getting rid of the ban on guns inside the capitol.
The bill also would let children under the age of 14 handle pistols and handguns, if they’re being supervised by a parent. The Senate did tack on a requirement that the supervising parent should be sober and not intoxicated. The Senate changes in the bill must be reviewed and approved by the House before the legislation may go to the governor. During their debate, senators made passionate arguments for and against the overall bill. Senator Petersen said “hundreds of Iowans” are worried about their safety in a “troubled world.”
Senator Jeff Edler, a Republican from State Center, says legislators “are answering” Iowans who want this bill.
Last fall, Edler defeated a Democratic senator who gun rights advocates accused of blocking some of the major provisions of this bill.
