Iowa Gun Owners Fighting For Real Right To Carry

[mrjarrell]

And the NRA is rushing in to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Jeff Knox and his compatriots are working hard to dismantle the "may issue" and "may buy" machine and restore peoples rights. The NRA, as usual, is against that, choosing to compromise Iowans rights away.

via Gun Rights Examiner

In his recent article, Jeff Knox of the Firearms Coalition has brought to light some very disturbing components of the NRA’s proposed concealed carry bill in Iowa. He mentioned our organization, Iowa Gun Owners, as the state based group that is opposed to this bill. He is correct. The 5,000 members and supporters of Iowa Gun Owners are concerned with the direction this new bill is heading.

As the Executive Director of Iowa Gun Owners, I have been asked by David Codrea to address the concerns that we have with this bill and explain why we are pushing so aggressively to pass the REAL Right-to-Carry bill. I will address our bill first. First let me give you some context on the current Iowa law.

Currently in Iowa, you have to obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon. We suffer under a ‘may issue’ system that allows the sheriff complete discretion to deny permits for whatever reason he wants. Sometimes the sheriffs simply invent reasons or are bold enough to deny permits just because they don’t like guns. Likewise we have to obtain a permit to purchase a handgun in all but a few cases. Law abiding Iowans are not allowed to ‘open carry’ in any incorporated area, and most sheriffs will revoke permits and otherwise harass someone who open carries in a non-incorporated area. Iowa has no ‘stand your ground’ or ‘castle doctrine’ provision, and we can’t have class 3 weapons.

In this context Iowa Gun Owners produced and is fighting for the REAL Right-to-Carry bill. This bill would allow anyone, who is not a felon or barred by federal law, the right to carry a weapon for self-defense WITHOUT having to first beg government permission. This is currently the law in Vermont. Additionally, under this bill Iowans would be able to open carry if they so choose as well. Lastly, similar to the laws in Alaska, the bill would allow Iowans to apply for a ‘shall issue’ permit if they want one for reciprocity.

This is the best gun bill ever introduced in Iowa. We don’t believe that the 2nd Amendment talks about taking tests, begging permission, and paying fees before one should be allowed to exercise their constitutional rights. We do not believe that the best way to pass a gun bill is to make multiple concessions up front, trying to appease the anti-gunners at the capitol.

We want anti-gun politicians to vote on our gun bills in their pure form – declare their hostility to the 2nd Amendment in ways that we can use to show our members the true colors of their elected officials. If the anti-gun crowd wants to water down our bills on the floor, or outright ‘kill’ them, that’s on them. They may pay a price for that vote this November.

Read the rest at the source.

 

[dross]

And the NRA is rushing in to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Jeff Knox and his compatriots are working hard to dismantle the "may issue" and "may buy" machine and restore peoples rights. The NRA, as usual, is against that, choosing to compromise Iowans rights away.

via Gun Rights Examiner

Read the rest at the source.

Without knowing all the details and the ins and outs of this issue, I don't have an opinion as to whether compromise makes sense here.

Politics may be driven by ideals, but nothing ever gets accomplished through pure idealism. This is why the Libertarian party is relegated to the fringe - no compromise on ideals.

The left has become brilliant at this strategy. They pass a little something here, wait, pass a little something there. They don't try to pass an all out gun ban, they chip away at it. There are battlegrounds and states where if we put out a no-compromise solution, we will lose, and potentially lose for many years. Sometimes, given the political climate, it makes more sense to make advances.

Just like Republican politicians from more liberal areas. We can try to get them defeated and insist on conservative purity, but they will lose. Some say, "What's the difference?" The difference is that with a majority in Congress, conservatives run the committees where everything gets done. Without a majority, you get Pelosi and Reid. Has conservative leadership done what we wanted when they had power? No. But I challenge anyone who says they weren't the lesser of evils. Much lesser.

So, again, without knowing if compromise is the right choice in this example, sometimes it's the only sensible choice.

 

[antsi]

There was a similar fight in Wisconsin a couple years back.

One group had been working for years to get a permit-carry law passed. They knew the governor would veto, but they had votes lined up for an over-ride.

Enter the "pure ideals" group, who considered the permit process to be an unconstitutional infringement, and worked to defeat the bill.

As a matter of principle, I do agree that the permit process is an infringement that should ultimately be done away with.

But as a practical matter, the people of Wisconsin can't carry legally today. They don't have the option of applying for a permit, because the bill was defeated by an unlikely coalition of gun control groups and gun rights purists.

 

[6birds]

But as a practical matter, the people of Wisconsin can't carry CONCEALED legally today. They don't have the option of applying for a permit, because the bill was defeated by an unlikely coalition of gun control groups and gun rights purists.

Fixed that.
You can OP any time and place, and do not need a permit to hunt, shoot at the range, or shoot your TV with a handgun.

 

[antsi]

Fixed that.
You can OC any time and place as long as you're willing to spend the rest of the day being detained, hauled downtown, searched, and otherwise hassled by the police.

OK, if we're going to be sticklers for detail, I'll accept your fix and add one of my own.

Wisconsin technically has legal open carry. But it isn't generally recognized or respected. The police chief of Milwaukee has famously said his policy is to arrest any non-LEO who open carries regardless of what the law says.

My point is that there is no truly functional, workable, right to carry in Wisconsin to this day.

 

[6birds]

OK, if we're going to be sticklers for detail, I'll accept your fix and add one of my own.

Wisconsin technically has legal open carry. But it isn't generally recognized or respected. The police chief of Milwaukee has famously said his policy is to arrest any non-LEO who open carries regardless of what the law says.

My point is that there is no truly functional, workable, right to carry in Wisconsin to this day.

Been ther often huh? Keep cherry picking the stories. According to Kirk, you can't carry in Broad Ripple either.

I'm going in January for late grouse. You're welcome to come with.