I forgot at least one more good gun bill in Des Moines, House File 170, the Iowa Firearms Protection Act. This bill follows the lead of several other states that have passed similar laws. It would exempt “firearms, firearm accessories, or ammunition owned or manufactured commercially or privately in this state and that remains exclusively within this state” from enforcement of federal laws or regulation.
Superficially this may seem like a Second Amendment issue, since it deals with guns, but it’s actually a Tenth Amendment issue. The concept is that arms made and remaining in the state don’t fall under the federal government’s authority under the U.S. Constitution’s commerce clause.
The bill would forbid Iowa state officials and Iowa gun dealers from enforcing federal regulations on Iowa made arms remaining in state. It would also make it illegal for any federal agent to enforce federal regulations on Iowa arms. Federal agents doing so would be guilty of a class “D” felony. It would also allow the Iowa attorney general to defend a citizen of Iowa who is prosecuted by the United States government for any of the above.
Our friends at the Tenth Amendment Center had a brief writeup on the bill here.
Pro-Freedom Bills In Des Moines
Here’s a rundown of some good pro-freedom bills currently in the Iowa legislature.
Guns:
House Joint Resolution 6 would add an amendment simply stating, “The right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed” to the Iowa Constitution, which currently has NO arms bearing protection.
House File 169 would allow people with valid permits to carry weapons to do so on school grounds. I talked about this bill at some length before it had been issued a bill number.
House File 57 and Senate File 96 provide “that a person may use reasonable force, including deadly force, and a person has no duty to retreat, and has a right to stand the person’s ground, and meet force with force, if the person believes reasonable force, including deadly force, is necessary under the circumstances to prevent death or serious injury to oneself or a third party, or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony.”
House File 81 would require “the commissioner of public safety and any issuing officer (county sheriff) shall keep confidential the names and addresses of holders of nonprofessional permits to carry weapons and permits to acquire pistols or revolvers.” [Thank you to Between Two Rivers for bringing this one to my attention. Welcome back, stranded!]
Medical Marijuana:
A 2010 poll showed that 64% of Iowans supported legalizing marijuana for medical use with a doctor’s approval. Since pharmacies are full of drugs much more addictive and dangerous than marijuana, letting doctors prescribe marijuana to suffering patients seems like a no-brainer.
Senate File 79 would allow for Iowa patients with qualifying conditions to access and use cannabis for medical purposes with a doctor’s recommendation. Rep. Bruce Hunter also introduced a similar measure, House File 22, but it appears dead on arrival in the Republican-controlled House.
Food Freedom Bills:
Like many Iowans I buy my milk, pasteurized and processed, in plastic jugs at Fareway like God intended. But I think it’s stupid that the government treats people who want to sell or drink raw milk like they are engaged in the trade of child pornography or something. Butt out!
In the State Senate, Senator Kent Sorenson introduced Senate File 61 and 77. SF 61 would place a moratorium “on every state agency’s administration and enforcement of statutes and rules affecting the sale of unprocessed food in this state.” SF 77 deals exclusively with dairy and would allow dairy farmers to sell raw milk directly to consumers.
In the House, Representative Schulz has introduced House Study Bill 131, which would also allow raw milk sales.
A Note On Photo Memes
I hope that you’ll humor my obsession with creating photo memes lately. It’s something that Facebook has gotten me hooked on. Speaking of Facebook, if you are on there, please stop by and “like” the blog’s page. Thanks.
Hölderlin Quote
Molon Labe!
Don’t Let a Crisis Go to Waste
End Gun Free School Zones In Iowa
Iowa Gun Owners (IGO) reports that this week, Representative Tom Shaw (R-10), will introduce new legislation in the House which would remove schools from the list of areas where Iowans with a permit to carry weapons are prohibited to carry. According to IGO, Rep. Shaw, a current police officer, “knows firsthand that he can’t be everywhere at once and that the only way to prevent events like this from happening is by arming potential victims.”
You can help to get this historic piece of commonsense legislation passed here in the Hawkeye State.
First, go HERE and find out who your State Representative is. Send him or her an email urging them to co-sponsor Shaw’s bill. (You can use the sample letter below if you’d like.)
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Dear Representative:
I am writing to urge you to co-sponsor the new bill being introduced by Representative Tom Shaw (R-10), which removes public schools from the list of areas where citizens with permits to carry concealed firearms are forbidden to carry. The current ban creates a nuisance for Iowa’s hundreds of thousands of permit holders who must displace their weapons (which they can carry just about anywhere else) just to pick up their kids at school. More importantly, the creation of “gun free zones” around schools creates an atmosphere attractive to psychopaths who want to rack up a lot of kills before armed police arrive, as we’ve seen in Columbine and Sandy Hook Elementary.
In a July 2012 New York Daily News op-ed piece, John R. Lott points out a salient fact from his research that should be required reading for everyone on both sides of this debate: “With a single exception, every multiple-victim public shooting in the U.S. in which more than three people have been killed since at least 1950 has taken place where citizens are not allowed to carry their own firearms.” That fact alone is shocking and points out the failure of “gun-free zones” of any kind in this country.
In 2000 Professors John R. Lott Jr. and William M. Landes released an exhaustive study of “Multiple Victim Public Shootings.” Some key findings from that study:
- “Right-to-carry laws reduce the number of people killed or wounded from multiple victim public shootings as many attackers are either deterred from attacking or when attacks do occur they are stopped before the police can arrive.”
- “Given that half the attackers in these multiple victim public shootings have had formal diagnoses of mental illness, the fact that some results indicate concealed handgun laws reduce these attacks by almost 70 percent is remarkable.”
- “Not only does the passage of a right-to-carry law have a significant impact on multiple shootings but it is the only gun law that appears to have a significant impact.”
- “[S]tates with the fewest gun free zones have the greatest reductions [in] killings, injuries, and attacks.”[Emphasis added.]
There are many things that contribute to school shootings and many proposed solutions. Armed guards and police presence at schools are great, but cost money when budgets are seemingly always stretched thin. Gun control laws are unconstitutional infringements upon the people’s freedom and come with political backlash. Ending the pointless “gun-free school zones” would increase safety and cost the state nothing. Please co-sponsor Representative Shaw’s bill.
Sincerely,
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Second, since you’re already writing emails, why not drop Rep. Shaw a line and tell him thanks for doing the right thing. IGO points out that he’s about to (metaphorically) be in the crosshairs of “Anti-gun blogs, the media, and anti-gunners in the Capitol,” so a kind word might be appreciated. Tom Shaw’s official email is: tom.shaw@legis.iowa.gov
Thirdly, pass this information along to your friends!
Words Never Heard
Announcing: Gun Appreciation Day 2013
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An Open Letter to State Rep. Muhlbauer
To:Dan.Muhlbauer@legis.iowa.gov
Dear Representative Muhlbauer:
I was interested in reading your recent interview in the Daily Times Herald titled “Muhlbauer: Ban, seize semi-auto weapons.” In the article it was suggested that you would like Iowa to ban and confiscate “big guns,” “semi-automatics,” and those that are “not hunting weapons.”
Why do you believe that people may be able to own some plinking firearms for recreational purposes but not defensive arms which may serve a deadly-serious purpose? Probably your reasoning is that others, police and soldiers, bear arms for that purpose. Indeed they do and thank God for them.
But the existence of these valiant “others” doesn’t absolve the rest of us from our duties as Americans, as neighbors, as husbands and fathers, or as men. If a fire started in your home would you not try to extinguish it even though you’re not a professional firefighter? If your child or your neighbor was injured would you not try to aid him even though you’re not a certified paramedic?
Why then this attitude that being prepared to defend oneself or ones family against criminal attack is unthinkable? Why then this attitude that being prepared to stand in defense of liberty is superfluous? Unfortunately this attitude is not uncommon among many pampered modern Americans.
What an unbelievably inflated sense of self-worth you must have to believe that humbly-paid civil servants (with families of their own) have a duty to risk their lives to defend your life and liberty while you won’t shoulder any of the responsibility yourself!
I hope that, despite your best efforts, your fellow citizens of Iowa will remain able to keep and bear arms without any more infringements placed upon that right. Even if you don’t choose to personally exercise that right, you and your family will be safer because of it.
Sincerely,
Benjamin R. Cashner
[Address & Phone Number Redacted]
Cold Hard Cashner 