Do you know that Iowa is one of only six states that do not recognize our precious Second Amendment rights in their constitutions? It may seem hard to believe, but Iowa, which adopted “shall issue” Permits to Carry Weapons in 2010 and became a “constitutional carry” state in 2021, shares that dubious distinction with California, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Minnesota.

The Iowa Firearms Coalition, Iowa’s only effective gun-rights organization, has been hard at work for years to get this fixed! Amending Iowa’s Constitution is no easy task. The course is long and there are many hurdles and pitfalls along the way. But the good news is that what the IFC calls the “Freedom Amendment” has now passed two consecutive Iowa General Assemblies and the issue will be on the ballot for Iowa voters to decide on November 8, 2022.

The proposed Freedom Amendment reads:

“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.”

Many have been confused by the inclusion of the term “strict scrutiny.” The choice of this phrase was quite purposeful since strict scrutiny is the highest standard of judicial review, or test, used by courts when the constitutionality of laws, regulations or other governmental policies is challenged. This standard is generally applied in cases involving fundamental rights, yet courts have generally avoided using it when considering possible violations of the right to keep and bear arms. When using the standard of strict scrutiny, the court must presume that a government policy is unconstitutional, unless the government can prove that the policy is necessary to achieve a “compelling state interest” and that the policy is both “narrowly tailored” to achieve that purpose and employs the “least restrictive means” possible to do so. The Freedom Amendment’s mandate that the courts employ strict scrutiny provides strong protection of our right to keep and bear arms.

The hard-working volunteers at Iowa Firearms Coalition will need your help as we approach November! The major anti-freedom groups are already lining up and pledging large sums of money to fight the Freedom Amendment. So, what can the citizen of Iowa do?

1. Join the Iowa Firearms Coalition and become not just a member but an active volunteer in the fight to preserve and maintain our God-given rights! IFC Membership

2. Share our posts from the Iowa Firearms Coalition with people in your network. We need digital warriors working to spread the word every single day to combat shadow banning and the social media algorithms that have severely limited the reach of our posts! IFC on Facebook

3. Consider donating to our sister organization, IFC-PAC, so we can develop targeted advertising to drown out the attacks of groups like Bloomberg’s “Everytown for Gun Safety,” which want to strip away your Second Amendment rights. IFC-PAC Donation

4. Encourage your friends and neighbors to vote in favor of the Freedom Amendment on November 8th!