Legislative update week 6

Surviving the Funnel

We’re six weeks into the 2016 legislative session and we’ve just passed our first real hurdle of the year. Friday marked the first funnel date of this year’s session. The “funnel” is a legislative deadline that each bill much reach in order to continue the legislative process. There are multiple funnel dates throughout the legislative calendar. They serve to keep the session moving forward and keep it from getting bogged down with oodles of extemporaneous bills.

We’re extremely proud to say that FIVE pro gun owner bills backed by the Iowa Firearms Coalition have successfully passed through the first funnel. The following bills are still active for 2016:

Each of these bills have passed out of committee and will soon be voted on by the entire House of Representatives. Votes on all five of these bills are expected this Tuesday, February 23rd. That also happens to be the same day as our Second Amendment Day in the Iowa Capitol (more on that in a moment).

Uphill Climb

Thanks to all of you who’ve helped get these bills to this point. While others in Iowa spend their time talking about the number of sponsors their bill had, the Iowa Firearms Coalition and our members are getting votes passed out of committee, organizing legislative lobby days, and schooling legislators and the media on pro gun owner issues. We sincerely mean it when we say that our members are second to none. You folks are the ones getting things done.

Let us make one thing clear though, things are going to get more difficult. In the legislative process each step forward is more difficult than the last. Our side has managed to build up a fair amount of momentum. But that forward progress will come to a grinding halt if we fail to keep active and keep the pressure up. Last year was a perfect example, our omnibus bill was quite literally attacked from all sides. Iowa based “#GunSense” groups, New York City lobbyists funded by Michael Bloomberg, even other gun owners from Iowa all worked together to kill our bill. The point is there’s no shortage of people who want to see our bills fail, which means it’s critical that each and every one of you takes an active role to help move things forward.

Second Amendment Day

We have a tremendous opportunity for you to get involved. In less than 48 hours we’ll be holding our 2016 Second Amendment Day in the Iowa Capitol. Hopefully you’ve heard about it by now, but if not please click the link above for specifics and join us on Tuesday in the state capitol. We’ll get the day started at 8AM and we expect to see votes on the five pro-gun owner bills in the House of Representatives sometime in late morning.

Come stand with us and a legion of other Second Amendment advocates. We’ll also be joined by the National Rifle Association, and the American Suppressor Association. We’ll be giving away t-shirts, stickers, and providing talking points to make it easy to send a strong message directly to your legislators. As an added bonus, we expect to see several pro gun owner bills voted on in the House. Come see the legislative process in action first hand, and let’s give these pro gun owner bills a firm push into the Senate!

More updates to come. Thank you for your ongoing support of the Iowa Firearms Coalition.


Iowa Firearms Coalition is an entirely volunteer, grassroots, Second Amendment advocacy group. Responsible for bringing uniformity to Iowa’s Permit to Carry process, IFC’s members work to protect and enhance Second Amendment rights in Iowa. An affiliate of the National Rifle Association, the IFC actively seeks to foster and promote the shooting sports. Sign up for our email list for the latest on Second Amendment issues in Iowa. You can support our work by becoming a member, or making a donation.