Your Freedom Amendment vote made a difference. Here’s an example: Illinois versus Iowa. On December 14, 2023, a couple dozen activists gathered in Davenport for an anti-gun protest. They somehow get a bit of press coverage, even though everyday Iowans are mostly ignored by the mainstream press. You know the Iowans I’m talking about–the nearly 750,000 Iowa voters who voted for the Freedom Amendment. The 750,000 voters we need to remind our legislators about.
Fortunately for all of us, we have honest journalists in Iowa, and even in Illinois. WQAD-TV ran a story on December 14th. My hat is off to them for once again reaching out to IFC to give our view, and for correctly quoting me. From the story by Jonathan Fong:
“Doesn’t mean the federal circuit appellate courts are not gonna hear it and rule on it; they’re just saying we’re not going to take it up right now,” Iowa Firearms Coalition president Dave Funk explained.
Funk is confident the Supreme Court will overturn the law. “With the makeup of the current court, and it’s gonna stay this way for probably, at least another decade, maybe two decades, where you have a majority of pro-constitution or originalists on the court … we’ll see it overturned, we won’t see any change.”
It’s important to understand the federal appellate process, in the case of the Protect Illinois Communities Act (PICA). The PICA act is unconstitutional on its face. This is clear to anyone with any knowledge of the Second Amendment, its historical traditions, and the Bruen Decision. Jumping directly to the US Supreme Court, while similar cases from other states are working their way through the system, is not something SCOTUS likes. We all want SCOTUS to rule in favor of the plaintiffs, but we have to let the legal process work its way through.
GRASPING AT STRAWS
We all know those Dangerous Quacks are grasping for straws. Let’s keep them grasping here in Iowa. Help IFC fulfill its mission to you, and all Iowa gun owners, by purchasing your tickets to the IFC PAC Prime Rib Dinner on January 18th. Hopefully, I’ll see you there, after meeting each and every one of you at IFC’s annual 2A Lobby Day that morning.
Help us educate Iowans on the facts by joining or renewing your IFC membershiphere today. And please stay Ready at All Times.
Shoot Straight, Speak The Truth, and Never Surrender Our Liberties.
Iowa’s Freedom Amendment Ceremony was held by the Secretary of State’s office last week. IFC was proud to be featured and recognized for all the hard work associated with years of planning and execution.
FREEDOM AMENDMENT FORMALLY ADDED TO IOWA’S STATE CONSTITUTION
(DES MOINES, Iowa) — Recognition and protection of the right to keep and bear arms were added to Iowa’s state constitution as the 49th amendment in a ceremony led by the Iowa Firearms Coalition (IFC) and Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate on Friday afternoon at a ceremony inside the Iowa Capitol Building.
Statewide Ballot Measure 1, known as the Freedom Amendment, passed with overwhelming support in the 2022 midterm elections with more than 65% of Iowa voters of all political stripes voting in favor of the measure. To put it another way, a majority in all but two of Iowa’s 99 counties voted “yes” for the Freedom Amendment, making it the most popular item on the ballot.
“This day belongs to Iowa,” said IFC President Dave Funk. “With the passage of the Freedom Amendment, thanks to the hard work of IFC’s grassroots supporters and myriad public servants, including Governor Kim Reynolds and Attorney General Elect Brenna Bird, Iowa is a freer, safer state with stronger civil rights protections.”
With Iowa’s passage of the Freedom Amendment, only five states in the country, Minnesota, Maryland, California, New York, and New Jersey do not yet have Second Amendment protections in their respective state constitutions.
“We would like to thank every Iowan who ignored the misinformation campaign launched by shady, out-of-state and coastal billionaire backed groups who attempted to meddle in our internal state affairs in an effort to infringe upon our civil rights and erode our electoral process,” said IFC Chair John McLaughlin. “Iowa is truly a state where liberties are prized, rights are maintained and where nonpartisanship concerning our fundamental rights is alive and well.”
The Iowa Firearms Coalition, an affiliate of the NRA and NSSF, is a 501(c4) nonprofit and is Iowa’s most effective pro-Second Amendment rights organization.
(Pictured above from Left to Right: Representative Steve Holt, IFC Board Member and Chief Lobbyist Richard Rogers*, House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl**, and Secretary of State Paul Pate)
*Richard Rogers is the recipient of NRA’s Distinguished Advocate Award **Representative Matt Windschitl is the recipient of NRA’s Defender of Freedom Award
Take A Few Moments To Be Thankful For How IFC Won The Freedom Amendment Vote.
Nearly two years ago, the IFC Political Action Committee leadership sat down with a potential vendor to map out the most efficient course of action to ensure Iowans turned out and voted yes for the Freedom Amendment on November 8th this year.
As you might know, we won all but two counties, of course to no one’s surprise one of them was the forever anti-gun Johnson County, and by a margin of fewer than 160 votes out of 34,000 cast we just missed winning in Story County. However, the rest of Iowa carried the day, garnering more votes than any other candidate this year. Clearly bi-partisan support for the right to defend ourselves, our families, our homes, and if necessary the State of Iowa itself carried the day.
IFC PAC can thank the efforts of several statewide candidates, including Governor Reynolds, Attorney General-elect Brenna Bird, all four Congressional candidates, and the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action’s Grassroots Committee among others for their support of the Freedom Amendment.
What did IFC do differently than the traditional campaigns of years past? We hired 5 Seasons Media out of Cedar Rapids to run a purely digital campaign. We went where Iowa voters are every day, and spent a year and a half educating and building relationships with them.
Sure we produced a few yard signs and our leadership appeared at various events and forums across the state in the last few months of the campaign. But by any metric, the earned media 5 Seasons garnered for IFC, and the hundreds of thousands of individual Iowans who engaged with us on just Facebook alone were instrumental in this victory.
Please remember every day that your vote made a difference in this 97 of 99 counties victory with nearly 66 percent of Iowans voting yes on protecting our right to keep and bear arms. I’ll be reaching out in the very near future with ideas on how you can help ensure pro-freedom majorities continue to be held in the Iowa General Assembly and in Washington, DC.
Thank you again for your vote, and your membership. Without them both we won’t continue winning. Please enjoy your Thanksgiving.
Harriet Hageman, constitutional lawyer and candidate for Congress from Wyoming, proudly endorses the Freedom Amendment. Turn your ballot over and VOTE YES for Iowa’s Right to Keep and Bear Arms Amendment! We’re thankful for the support. THANK YOU!
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.”
Larry Elder, nationally syndicated radio host, Fox News contributor, lawyer, and a BIG fan of protecting our Second Amendment rights, supports Iowa’s Freedom Amendment. Turn your ballot over and VOTE YES for Iowa’s Right to Keep and Bear Arms Amendment! We’re thankful for the support. THANK YOU!
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.”
(TIPTON, Iowa) — Five more Iowa Sheriffs are making their support for the Freedom Amendment known ahead of the November 8th general election. They include Sheriff Jason Barnes (Madison), Sheriff Jason Sandholdt (Marion), Sheriff Adam Infante (Dallas), Sheriff Jeff Vandewater (Adair) and Sheriff Joe Carico (Warren).
These latest public endorsements come only days after six other Iowa sheriffs also announced they too would be turning their ballots over to vote “yes” for the Freedom Amendment. Those other Sheriffs are Sheriff Warren Wethington (Cedar County), Sheriff Dan Tredrow (Van Buren), Sheriff Quinn Riess (Muscatine), Sheriff Keith Davis (Wayne), Sheriff Jared Schneider (Washington) and Sheriff Robert Rotter (Iowa).
“Iowans should know their peace officers support the civil rights of those they serve,” said Cedar County Sheriff Warren Wethington. “The right to keep and bear arms is a pillar of the rights our country and state were founded on and the time to have this right protected in Iowa’s state constitution is long overdue.”
The Freedom Amendment, if approved by voters, will add the right to keep and bear arms to Iowa’s state constitution. Only six states, which includes Iowa, Minnesota, Maryland, California, New York and New Jersey, have not already adopted their own versions of the Freedom Amendment in their respective state constitutions.
“We would like to thank all of Iowa’s peace officers who’ve had the courage to share that they are putting the interests of their citizens ahead of out-of-state political groups wishing to create new government mandates and influence our elections in Iowa,” said Dave Funk, IFC President.
Recent polling from the Des Moines Register and Iowans for Tax Relief has also shown it’s not just members of law enforcement who are backing this Amendment but a strong majority of everyday Iowans too.
Jeff Kaufmann, Chair of the Republican Party of Iowa, supports Iowa’s Freedom Amendment. Turn your ballot over and VOTE YES for Iowa’s Right to Keep and Bear Arms Amendment! We’re thankful for the support. THANK YOU!
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.”
Iowa’s own Terry Branstad, former Governor of Iowa and United States Ambassador, supports Iowa’s Freedom Amendment. Turn your ballot over and VOTE YES for Iowa’s Right to Keep and Bear Arms Amendment! We’re thankful for the support. THANK YOU!
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.”
Just a reminder Iowa’s House Representative, Brian Lohse, supports Iowa’s Freedom Amendment. Turn your ballot over and VOTE YES for Iowa’s Right to Keep and Bear Arms Amendment! We’re thankful for the support. THANK YOU!
To learn more about Representative Lohse, go HERE. To see voting records for legislators, go HERE to our PAC site with bill trackers and legislative scorecards.
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.”
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Let’s keep them grasping here in Iowa. Help IFC fulfill its mission to you, and all Iowa gun owners, by purchasing your tickets to the IFC PAC Prime Rib Dinner on January 18th. Hopefully, I’ll see you there, after meeting each and every one of you at IFC’s annual 2A Lobby Day that morning. 
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