Des Moines, Iowa — The Iowa legislature has unanimously voted to let Iowans give a gun they legally own to a federally licensed gun dealer — if the gun dealer volunteers to store it.
If the person asks to retrieve their gun later, the dealer would not be liable if the person uses the gun to hurt themselves or commit a crime. Representative Elinor Levin, a Democrat from Iowa City, says it’s a great bill.
Republican Senator Scott Webster of Bettendorf says the bill has the backing of gun rights groups and the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Republicans who control the Iowa legislature’s debate agenda in the past have rejected a so-called “red flag” law to police or family members seek court orders to prevent people considered to be a danger to themselves or others from having guns. Critics say red flag laws violate a person’s due process rights.
