On October 10, 2015, the Iowa Firearms Coalition hosted a mass-qualification event at Big Springs Shooting Complex near Searsboro, IA.  When Iowa’s “may issue” law changed to “shall issue” in January 2011, tens of thousands of Iowans who were previously unable to get a permit were able to obtain a five year permit. As a result, thousands of Iowans are now faced with renewing their permits and must take a training class in order to renew those permits.

The event at Big Springs allowed holders of Iowa’s Permit to Carry Weapons (PCW) to get the training certificate required to renew their permits in the upcoming months. To obtain a training certificate, shooters were required to fire a total of 10 rounds from two magazines (5 rounds in each) at an 8″ target at a distance of 8 yards.

A score of 100% was required to receive a certificate, and shooters were given two chances to achieve this score. One range was used for qualification while a second range was used for shooters to practice with a firearms instructor. IFC intends to host additional events such as this in order to assist Iowans with permit renewals.  All proceeds from this event went to IFC’s PAC, which aims to expand 2nd Amendment freedoms in Iowa.