The Second Amendment is Dangerous! That’s what the Democrats in the Iowa House would have you believe, after all 40 walked out of the Capitol a week ago in protest of legislation protecting the Second Amendment rights of Iowans.
Two bills were scheduled for debate in the Iowa House--one that would amend Iowa’s Constitution to include an explicit right to keep and bear arms (HJR 2009), and a second to strengthen your right to self-defense (HF 2215.)
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy believed that Iowa House Republicans were going to “alter the Iowa Constitution with extreme gun language that, if enacted, would turn Iowa into the Wild, Wild West.” He went on to say that “House Democrats believe too strongly in our Constitution” to allow the debate to go forward.
It’s extreme to enshrine into the Iowa Constitution the rights that are already guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution, and are found in the state constitutions of 44 other states?
Apparently they do not realize that our rights don’t come from Government. Our founders saw that “to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men.”
It is the function of Government to protect your rights. You should not be forced to back down or retreat from someone who intends you harm, who intends to commit violence against you, whether in your home, your car, your place of business, or wherever you may find yourself in danger.
But it’s not just Democrats you have to worry about. Iowa Republicans have a majority in the House and a majority on the Public Safety Committee, where many proposed bills were created, only to be killed or watered down by anti-gun Republican Chairman Rep. Clel Baudler.
Rep. Baudler went on WHO radio recently and stated that, "any Iowan who wants to carry a gun needs to be … identified … trained … certified … and THEN and ONLY THEN will they be issued a permit."
House Democrats did return to the House around 4:30 PM, and after debate, both bills were passed.
Now the fight moves to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Committee Chairman, Sen. Eugene Fraise, D-Fort Madison, stated on Monday that he was not inclined to move either piece of legislation--the resolution for a constitutional amendment to protect gun rights, or the bill dealing with the justifiable use of force to defend oneself-- before a March 16 deadline.
Iowa law requires a proposed constitutional amendment to pass two consecutive Iowa General Assemblies in exactly the same form before that language is placed on the ballot for consideration in the next general election.
If the resolution is not approved by the 84th General Assembly this year, it will take until the 2015 session for the Legislature to pass a resolution to get the issue on a statewide ballot.
I need you to contact the members of the Iowa Senate Judiciary Committee, and tell them Iowans ought to have the right to defend themselves. Tell them this isn’t about guns; it’s about your rights as Iowans. Either they trust you to enjoy the rights intended to you, or they become the master of your rights.
Tell them Iowans have no masters!
Capitol phone: 515.281.3371
https://www.legis.iowa.gov/
Gene Fraise (D, District 46), Chair
Robert M. Hogg (D, District 19), Vice Chair
Nancy J. Boettger (R, District 29), Ranking Member
Bill Dix (R, District 9)
Robert E. Dvorsky (D, District 15)
Tom Hancock (D, District 16)
Wally E. Horn (D, District 17)
Pam Jochum (D, District 14)
Herman C. Quirmbach (D, District 23)
Steven J. Sodders (D, District 22)
Kent Sorenson (R, District 37)
Pat Ward (R, District 30)
Jack Whitver (R, District 35)
For Liberty,
Dusty Juhl
Interim State Coordinator
Iowa Campaign for Liberty
Print 
PDF