On January 28, 2021, the Iowa General Assembly passed Senate Joint Resolution 7 to add an amendment to the state Constitution which upholds and acknowledges the Second Amendment as a fundamental civil liberty for Iowans. The Senate passed SJR 7 by a 29-18 vote and the House passed it by a 58-41 vote.
This resolution is part of an effort spanning multiple years and sessions where the General Assembly has passed similar resolutions. Back in the 2019-2020 session of the General Assembly passed the same resolution calling for the amendment. With the passage of SJR 7 in the 2020-2021 session, this amendment will now be on the ballot for Iowa voters to decide in 2022.
As the NRA-ILA noted, Iowa is currently ”one of six states that do not have a right to keep and bear arms amendment in their state Constitution, including California, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, and New York.”
Iowa is currently ranked in a sub-par 34th place for best state for gun owners and a mediocre 24th place for concealed carry, according to Guns and Ammo magazine’s respective rankings for gun friendly and concealed carry friendly states.
Like a lot of red states which position themselves as pro-gun, Iowa still has work to do.
Nevertheless, the movement on Second Amendment legislation is picking up steam nationwide. There is visible momentum building across the nation. Conservatives should recognize this and try to get involved at the state and local level.
The low-hanging fruits for political success will likely be found in red states. With Democrats in control of the federal government, there’s potential for a massive reaction at the state level.
Let’s take advantage of it.
