Des Moines, Iowa (RI) — The Iowa House has passed a bill that would lower the legal age for carrying a handgun in the state to 18. Under current law, people who do not have a professional permit must be at least 21 years old in order to possess a handgun.
Republican Representative Steven Holt of Denison says the bill upholds the US Constitution’s Second Amendment AND the amendment voters recently added to Iowa’s Constitution on the right to keep and bear arms.
A recent federal court ruling struck down Minnesota’s ban on 18, 19, and 20-year-olds from possessing a pistol or revolver.
The bill passed on a 79 to 18 vote. Representative Lindsay James, a Democrat from Dubuque who voted no, says she understands court decisions have set the stage for this type of legislation, but James says data about gun violence is a concern.
If the bill becomes law, 18, 19 and 20-year-olds will still be barred from buying guns from federally-licensed gun dealers. Holt says that’s necessary because the National Instant Criminal Background Check System — called NICS (NICKS) — hasn’t caught up with a 2022 US Supreme Court ruling that expanded gun rights.
The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.
KIWA Staff Photo
