As reported, the Iowa House of Representatives passed Senate File 2379 by a vote of 81 to 15 and it will now head to Governor Chet Culver (D) for his consideration. SF2379 had previously passed in the Senate by a vote of 44 to 4. This bill is a huge victory for gun owners in the Hawkeye State and reinforces the legislature’s intent to treat the provisions of the Second Amendment as rights, not state-granted privileges.
This NRA-backed bill would change Iowa from a “May-Issue” state to a “Shall-Issue” state. This legislation would require sheriffs to issue a permit to carry weapons to all applicants, unless they are subject to certain specific disqualifiers. This pro-gun legislation would:
* Increase the term of a permit from one year to five years;
* Narrow the disqualifying circumstances for a permit to the federal minimum in most cases, while further narrowing state-specific disqualifiers;
* Prevent the issuing officer from placing limits on or restricting the scope of a carry permit;
* Ensure that denials, suspensions, and revocations of permits would be subject to both administrative and judicial review;
* Grant recognition to all valid out-of-state permits;
* Broaden the types of training that would fulfill the state-mandated training requirement for permit applicants;
* Provide a means for persons who are prohibited from owning firearms under broad mental health-related disqualifiers and who do not pose a public safety risk to regain their rights;
* Limit the information that can be required of a permit applicant and prevent the application process from being used as a de-facto firearm registration scheme; and
* Until the new system goes into effect on January 1, 2011, you will still be able to obtain a one year permit under the old system.
Please contact Governor Culver TODAY and respectfully urge him to sign this important legislation into law. Contact information can be found below.
Governor Chet Culver (D)
(515) 281- 5211
Email