DES MOINES (AP) — Iowa would have a stand-your-ground provision and make other sweeping changes to its gun laws under a bill approved Thursday by a Republican-led legislative panel.
The roughly 40-page bill, introduced this week, includes a range of proposals in how Iowa would regulate the use of firearms. Some aspects of the bill have appeared in other proposed legislation over the years, but those attempts were halted by Democrats who held legislative control.
Republicans won majority control of both chambers of the Legislature in the Nov. 8 election, and that dynamic makes passage of the legislation more likely.
A three-member subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee signed off the bill, which would remove background check restrictions on private handgun purchases and allow people to carry concealed weapons without a permit. It would also stop colleges from banning weapons on campus, allow firearm permits to last a lifetime, prohibit local governments from passing gun restrictions and allow children under age 14 to use handguns with supervision from a parent. The bill would also allow guns on the Capitol grounds.
Rep. Matt Windschitl, R-Missouri Valley and a vocal supporter of gun rights, said the bill was subject to change and he would take recommendations from the subcommittee meeting to his caucus.
“Our intent is to protect Iowans at all cost,” he said. “This will allow Iowans more freedoms and the ability to exercise those freedoms in a responsible fashion.”
Barry Snell, executive director of the Iowa Firearms Coalition, expressed strong support for the measure.
“This is a dramatic and historical step forward, towards abolishing the Second Amendment as being a second-class right in the state of Iowa,” he said.
Still, many people expressed reservations. The main focus in the hour-long meeting was the stand-your-ground provision, which would allow people in Iowa to use deadly force anywhere if they believe such force is necessary to avoid injury or risk to one’s life or safety. People could use deadly force even if an alternative course of action is available, and it allows people to be wrong in that estimation of danger.
The language has similarities to legislation enacted in other states. However, such laws had slowed down after the 2012 death of Trayvon Martin in Florida. The 17-year-old was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer. Zimmerman ultimately didn’t use the state’s stand-your-ground law as defense though its consideration garnered attention. Zimmerman was later acquitted of charges related to the shooting.
Martin’s death and the circumstances surrounding the case — the teen was black and unarmed — led to protests and a national debate about race relations.
Laural Clinton, of Des Moines, attended the subcommittee. She said despite her permit to carry a weapon, the stand-your-ground provision alarmed her. Clinton said her three African-American sons have been judged based on the color of their skin. She said the bill scares her as a parent.
“I’m not anti-gun so don’t, don’t misunderstand that,” she said. “I understand that the people who carry guns are law-abiding citizens. But I want you to understand that when you see my child, you’re not gonna see a law-abiding citizen, and that’s inherently the history of our country.”
Amber Gustafson, of Ankeny, leads the Iowa chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. She said she’s a responsible gun owner with reservations about proposed changes to background checks and how it may impact the low rate of gun violence in the state.
“Iowa is a model already to the rest of the United States,” she said. “We can show the rest of the U.S. how it’s possible to have a robust, exciting and engaging gun culture while keeping good laws in place that protect the most vulnerable among us.”
The legislation now heads to a full committee.