The state of Iowa is considering a constitutional amendment that would protect the right to bear arms from all forms of gun control.
According to the proposed constitutional amendment, “The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. The sovereign state of Iowa affirms and recognizes this right to be a fundamental individual right. Any and all restrictions of this right shall be subject to strict scrutiny.”
Dan Zimmernan of The Truth About Guns reported that the Iowa General Assembly, which is under Republican control (59-41 in the House and 32-18 in the Senate), passed this measure back in 2019. Should both chambers of the Iowa General Assembl pass this constitutional amendment this year or in 2022, this measure will then wind up at the ballot box for voters to decide on.
Pro-gun operatives at the Iowa Firearms Coalition justified this amendment on the grounds that it would protect the state from any potential gun grabs coming from D.C.
“It’s because those who for nearly a century so successfully weaponized the courts to remove constitutional restrictions on government—vastly expanding its powers while throttling individual liberty—now refuse to accept court decisions that make it clear the constitution limits government, not the people,” declared Richard Rogers, a lobbyist for the Iowa Firearms Coalition.
One thing that Zimmerman noted is how far this amendment goes in protecting gun rights:
But this proposal goes further than the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution by specifying that gun restrictions will be subject to the highest standard of review used by courts to determine if laws are constitutional.
Iowa’s gun laws still leave a lot to be desired. It sits at a sub-par 34th place for the most pro-gun states in the nation accoring to Guns & Ammo magazine
It not only should pass this amendment, but Iowa should considering passing Constitutional Carry as well, so that its lawful residents can stop having to beg the government to exercise their right to self-defense.
Localism is in the air and Iowa should do its part by implementing its very own pro-Second Amendment reforms. States cannot afford to wait for D.C. to learn the error of its ways any longer.
