“A man’s rights rest in three boxes: the ballot box, the jury box, and the cartridge box.”
-Frederick Douglas
Week 7 recap:
For weeks that we’ve been telling you we’ve been working behind the scenes on strong pro-gun owner legislation. The details are not 100% final just yet, but it’s time to go public.
We plan to legalize suppressors and fix many issues that have plagued Iowa’s firearms owners for years.
This week we expect Representative Matt Windschitl to introduce a wide-ranging omnibus bill that addresses many issues the Iowa Firearms Coalition has raised over the years. Legalizing suppressors is the most high profile portion of this bill, but it also repeals the ban on youth shooting in Iowa, fixes concealed carry training and recertification issues, and much more.
Major deadline looming!
The first major deadline of the legislative session is just days away. The first funnel is Friday March 6th. In order to be signed into law a bill must pass out of it’s first committee assignment by the first funnel date – March 6th this year.
Once the omnibus bill is introduced it’ll have very little time to pass out of committee. It’s imperative that we act fast, and we’re counting on you to show lawmakers that we mean it when we say thousands of Iowan’s are serious about protecting and enhancing our Second Amendment rights. This means calling and emailing legislators, and getting family and friends to do the same. We’ll have detailed instructions on what to do as soon as the bill is filed.
Fight against ATF M855 ban continues.
Thousands of you have used our pre-written emails to show the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives that you oppose their ban on M855 ammunition.
Now we’ve made it easy to email your legislators in Washington D.C. to tell them to do their part to block this ban. Iowa Senator Charles Grassley has already pledged to use his position as Chairman of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to fight the BATFE’s latest infringement.
What you can do right now:
Prepare for action
We expect to see a major pro-gun owner bill introduced this week. As soon as it’s filed we’ll be emailing you detailed instructions on who to call, who to email, and what to say. Time is short, so when we put out the call don’t delay.
Tell lawmakers to fight BATFE ban on M855
We’ve set up a “one stop shop” on our website providing you with tools to take action, and get informed on the fight to stop the ban on M855 ammunition.
Become a member – major discounts now available
Just a few days left on our lifetime membership offer – 40% off! Can’t afford a lifetime membership? No problem, we offer annual memberships too. Remember, we’re an all volunteer organization, we don’t get paid for the work we do and we don’t waste your money on a bunch of marketing and print material. You can rest assured 100% of your membership money goes to protecting and enhancing your Second Amendment rights.
Stay tuned for more important updates!
Fighting for your Second Amendment rights in Iowa,
Sheena Green
IFC Communications Director
NRA Member
Iowa Firearms Coalition is an entirely volunteer, grassroots, 2nd Amendment advocacy group. Responsible for bringing uniformity to Iowa’s Concealed Weapons Permitting process, IFC’s members work to protect and enhance 2nd 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 2nd Amendment issues in Iowa. You can support our work by becoming a member, or making a donation.
Rep. Matt Windschitl’s latest newsletter describing his suppressor/firearms omnibus bill for Iowa.
The time for action is very near
As you may know, we’ve hinted for a while now that a big firearms bill is in the works. We’re still putting the final touches on it, but the time has come to start spreading the word.
We plan to legalize suppressors and fix many issues that have plagued Iowa’s firearms owners for years.
Representative Matt Windchitl, a stalwart supporter of Iowa’s firearms community, will soon introduce a wide-ranging omnibus firearms bill. Windschitl made the announcement in his latest legislative newsletter. Building off last year’s landslide of support for legalizing suppressors, the bill addresses suppressors and many other issues the Iowa Firearms Coalition has raised over the last several years.
According to Windschitl the bill:
-Legalizes suppressors and creates a process for a chief law enforcement officer to sign off on the paper work a citizen needs to purchase a suppressor. This is a federal requirement and just one step in the process to obtain a suppressor.
-Corrects the renewal process and extends the time a person can go without retraining from 5 years to 10 years. So a permit will last for 5 years, but you can renew it without retraining on your first renewal.
-Creates a simplified method of obtaining retraining after this 10 year window by allowing the retraining to be a simple online course approved by the NRA or Department of Public Safety. It also allows for a person to shoot on a range for their qualification if they so choose or to take a full course like they did for their first permit.
-Specifically exempts veterans with small arms training from ever having to go through initial training or retraining if they can produce their military qualifications at the time of application.
-Lengthens the window in which you can renew your permit from the current 30 days prior to expiration requirement, to now allowing you to renew 30 days before or after the expiration date on the permit.
-Clarifies that when an applicant takes online training that it is done with either a live instructor teaching a course, or that an instructor has taught a prerecorded course. In either case the applicants participation must be verified by an instructor.
-Eliminates the annual permit to acquire and makes this an optional permit to acquire firearms that will now be good for 5 years instead of 1 year.
-Establishes permit privacy so the information you submit to obtain your permit will no longer be subject to public information requests. Your personally identifiable information will only be able to be released to law enforcement when necessary in the course of their duties. This protects not only permit holders, but also none permit holders as it will prevent someone with criminal intentions from being able to readily identify who may or may not have a weapon.
-Eliminates the absurd law that bans parents from being able to teach their children under fourteen how to shoot a pistol or revolver. Under current law if a parent wants to teach their child to shoot a rifle or shotgun they can, but they cannot teach a child under fourteen how to use a pistol or revolver. This change will put the responsibility to make the decision of when a child should be taught firearm safety back where it belongs, in the parents hands.
-Establishes a statewide verification system law enforcement can use to check the validity of a permit. This is good for both law enforcement and those Iowans who exercise their right to carry a weapon. Currently if you were to forget your permit and be stopped by law enforcement they would have to seize your weapon and potentially charge you for carrying without a permit. With the system they will be able to verify if you have a valid permit and not take your weapon away. Having this system may also help us to gain reciprocity with other states like Minnesota. Do not be alarmed though, this is not a gun registry or database of firearm owners. The system will only contain information that verifies if a permit is valid or not. It will not include information on specific weapons or people who simply own weapons but do not have a permit.
-Will create uniform permits throughout the state that will only have necessary information listed on the permit card. This will apply to both a permit to carry and the now optional permit to acquire. We specifically strike the requirement to have a person’s residence listed on the permit card as there is no need for this information on a permit. Uniformity in permits will not only be a benefit to law enforcement but also the public and firearm stores.
-Outlaws the practice commonly referred to by law enforcement as a “straw purchase”, where someone who is prohibited from having a firearm obtains one by having another person purchase a firearm for them. Federal law already has similar prohibitions, but state law is not as clear as it needs to be on the topic.
The Clock Is Ticking
During Iowa’s legislative process a bill must meet certain deadlines. The first of these deadlines is Friday March 6th (sometimes called the first funnel). This is when all bills must be passed out of the committees they’ve been assigned. We’ve created a page explaining How a Bill Becomes a Law in Iowa.
As soon as this bill is introduced the Iowa Firearms Coalition will be spreading the message. We have just a few short days to get this bill passed out of committee before the first funnel. It’s a big task, but we’ve been preparing for this for months, and thanks to the groundwork our lobbyists have been laying we’re confident we can get past this first hurdle IF we can show strong grassroots support from across the state.
Iowa Firearms Coalition is an entirely volunteer, grassroots, 2nd Amendment advocacy group. Responsible for bringing uniformity to Iowa’s Concealed Weapons Permitting process, IFC’s members work to protect and enhance 2nd 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 2nd Amendment issues in Iowa. You can support our work by becoming a member, or making a donation.
Quote of the week:
“The world is filled with violence. Because criminals carry guns, we decent law-abiding citizens should also have guns. Otherwise they will win and the decent people will lose.”
-James Earl Jones
Fellow Iowans-
We’ve wrapped up week two of Iowa’s legislative session, and we’re beginning to see the first signs of movement on Second Amendment issues. A few bills, some good some bad, have already been introduced. This is just the beginning though, the Iowa Firearms Coalition along with the NRA have been working diligently behind the scenes on some very significant bills. They will be introduced soon, when that happens we’ll need help from each and every one of you. Stand ready Iowans!
Week 2 recap:
Good news first. Representative Matt Windschitl has introduced two bills that will provide important protections for our Second Amendment rights. More specific details on each of these bills can be found on our 2015 Legislative Session webpage.
HF45 – Emergency powers
This bill would prohibit the confiscation of firearms, ammunition, and other Second Amendment rights during a “state of emergency” or “public unrest.” In essence this bill would keep Hurricane Katrina style confiscation of firearms from happening in Iowa.HF59 – Preemption cleanup bill
This bill amends Iowa Code 724.28 which says local municipalities and governing bodies cannot supersede state firearms law, and adds a means to penalize anyone that attempts to trump the state law.
Now for the bad news. A very small contingent of anti-gun legislators have introduced a trio of bills that can best be summed up as the “Michael Bloomberg Gun Control Wishlist.” Fortunately several other key legislators have assured us the passage of these bill is highly unlikely. That’s thanks in very large part to your ongoing contact with Iowa legislators. Keep it up!
HF70 – 10 round maximum on magazine capacity
This bill would make it illegal to buy, sell, or trade any magazine that held over ten rounds of ammunition. Under this bill anyone caught transferring magazines with a capacity over 10 rounds would be subject to a fine of up to $6,250.HF76 – Barring transfer of all semi-automatic firearms
This bill would make it a felony for anyone to buy, sell, trade or transfer a semi-automatic firearm in Iowa. Punishment would include up to 5 years confinement and up to a $7,500 fine for first time offenders. Repeat offenders would face up to 10 years confinement and a $10,000 fine.HF77 – Universal background checks
Under this bill anyone selling or transferring a firearm must go through an FFL who is mandated to run a NICS background check, regardless of the relationship of the buyer and seller. Punishment would include up to 2 years confinement and a fine of up $6,250.
What you need to know:
As we mentioned, the Bloomberg Gun Control Wishlist stands very little chance of gaining any traction. Regardless of that fact we’ll be keeping an extremely close eye on their status and update you as needed.
More importantly, there’s a pair of pro-Second Amendment bills that have already been introduced but more are coming. Once they’ve all been introduced and assigned to a legislative committee we’ll put out the word on who you need to contact in order to help ensure their passage.
These bills will be very ambitious and will take a serious amount of work. We’re fully committed to doing our part, but when the time is right we will need you to back us up with a flood of emails, phone calls, and conversations with Iowa’s lawmakers.
What you can do right now:
Call or write your legislator – tell them you’re a Second Amendment supporter and you’re keeping a close eye on each firearms bill introduced this session.
Use our Legislative Action Center to send a pre-written email, or write your own.
John Reed, Chairman of the Iowa Firearms Coalition Board of Directors offers some great tips on how to maximize your communications with lawmakers.
Spread the word
Forward this email and then follow us on Facebook & Twitter.
Fighting for your Second Amendment rights in Iowa,
Sheena Green
IFC Communications Director
NRA Member
Iowa Firearms Coalition is an entirely volunteer, grassroots, Second Amendment advocacy group. Responsible for bringing uniformity to Iowa’s Concealed Weapons Permitting 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.
As you’ll recall, early in the Iowa legislative session Representative Matt Windschitl (R-HD17) introduced a bill to legalize suppressors. This common sense gun rights measure would have brought Iowa in line with 39 other states that have already legalized suppressors–none of which have seen any reportable increase in crime we might add.
Then on February 27th, the suppressor bill came to a vote in the Iowa House of Representatives, where according to the Cedar Rapids Gazette, “a bill to protect Iowans’ liberties and their hearing sailed through the Iowa House Thursday on an 83-16 vote” There were a lot of excited firearms enthusiasts in Iowa. And rightfully so. The bill passed by a bipartisan landslide, with only 16 representatives–all urban Democrats–voting against the bill.
Freedom loving Iowans were optimistic. Not only had the suppressor bill sailed through the House, but gun owners had been busy writing their state senators as well, urging them to support the suppressor bill when it moved from the House to the Senate. Statewide, Iowans had received pledges to support the suppressor bill from every single Republican senator and 20 out of 26 Democrat senators. By all measures, it looked as the suppressor bill would pass through the Iowa Senate as easily as it did the House.
But despite all that support, from Republicans AND Democrats, the suppressor bill was given the kiss of death. Senate President Pam Jochum (D-SD14) assigned the suppressor bill to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Before the bill even landed on his desk, chairman of the Judiciary Committee Rob Hogg (D-SD33) declared that, “…it is my plan not to take up any firearms legislation this year.” Right after the House overwhelmingly approved the bill, Senator Hogg said, “I see nothing urgent about this.”
Nothing urgent about your rights, apparently! Then, as promised, Rob Hogg did nothing. The suppressor bill, with its overwhelming bipartisan support, was never scheduled for a vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee, it never left the Senate Judiciary Committee, and it never came to a vote in the full Senate.
In the final hours of the legislative session back in late April, there was one final attempt to breathe life back into the suppressor bill. In the House of Representatives, legislators tied the suppressor bill to an appropriations bill as an amendment. They passed the suppressor amendment back and forth with the appropriations bill, taking it out and putting it back in several times. But when the dust finally settled, it was the Senate Democrats who stripped the suppressor amendment from the appropriations bill and passed it on a straight party line vote. 26 Democrats passed the appropriations bill without the amendment that would have legalized suppressors.
Rob Hogg had done his part, procedurally blocking the suppressor bill from coming to a vote in the Senate–meaning all of those Senate Democrats who had pledged to support the suppressor bill would not have to go ‘on record’ voting in favor of restoring the rights of Iowans. Indeed, in the 11th hour of 2014 legislative session, when those same Democrats had a golden opportunity to stand up and make good on their word to support the legalization of suppressors, they all turned their backs on their pledges. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. They stripped the appropriations bill of all language that would legalize suppressors, passed the bill with every single one of their members falling in line, and in the process killed the last chance the suppressor bill had.
This isn’t the first time this kind of thing has played out in the Iowa Legislature. Time and time again Rob Hogg has used his chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee to play politics and block bills that would restore your rights. Stand Your Ground, a Right to Keep and Bear Arms amendment to the state constitution, gun owner privacy protection, legalization of suppressors…ALL of these bills have passed the House but died in the Senate. We’ve tried for years to work with the Senate Democrats and find another way to pass these bills, but they fail to come around. Their actions have truly spoken louder than their words.
Election day is near at hand. The Iowa Firearms Coalition has been and remains bipartisan, but history has made it painfully obvious that Senate Democrats are not interested in working with us, so it’s time to make a change. If we expect any further progress on restoring gun rights in Iowa, we MUST make a change: We must flip the Senate to a Republican majority to get anything done, plain and simple.
We need your help to make this happen. Voting is the very least you can do. We need is for you to talk to your friends, your co-workers, your hunting buddies and tell them what you’ve learned here, how so many gun rights bills have been killed in the state senate. But we also need more than just talk, we need you to donate, and we need you to volunteer. Your time and money will help us make a much-needed change in Des Moines.
We don’t know what the future holds, but we know what we’ve seen in the past, and its high time for a change. If you’re frustrated with the lack of support you’re getting in our state capitol, please join us!
On February 19, members of the Iowa House Judiciary Committee on both sides of the political aisle demonstrated their ability to put your rights and safety before party ideology. With IowaFirearmsCoalition sponsored amendments, HF 384 – a bill to legalize your right to own firearms suppressors – easily passed in a broadly bipartisan 17-to-4 vote. This was an important milestone in our ongoing mission to reclaim gun rights in Iowa, as Rep. Matt Windschitl, in partnership with IFC and the NRA, works to ensure HF 384 makes it to the Governor’s desk for his signature.
But the struggle isn’t over, and we need your help to make sure Gov. Branstad gets that opportunity! HF 384 has been renamed HF 2381 and will be debated on the House floor tomorrow!
We are on the verge of this important measure passing in the House, but we need your continued support!. Please make the effort to call and e-mail your Representative today and urge him or her to support for HF 2381 without further amendment.
Your Representative’s e-mail address can be found here [Find Your Legislator]. Legislators can also be reached through the central switchboard at (515) 281-3221. Phone calls really make a difference!
Firearms suppressors are nothing more than mufflers for guns and their primary purpose is to protect shooters and bystanders from the danger of instant and irreparable hearing damage. However, there are numerous other personal and public benefits associated with the use of suppressors, including increased accuracy due to reduced recoil and muzzle blast and reduced noise pollution. Noise complaints are increasingly being used as an excuse to close shooting ranges, informal shooting areas and hunting lands throughout the country. Increased use of suppressors will help to eliminate many of these complaints and protect hunting and shooting areas well into the future. Thirty nine other states permit the possession and use of suppressors and they are actually required in many parts of Europe.
The facts are clear: Iowans deserve the freedom to choose and use these beneficial safety devices. Contact your representatives today and tell them to support HF 2381!
Advancing your Second Amendment rights in Iowa, Jeff Burkett President, IowaFirearmsCoalition NRA Endowment Member
The House Judiciary Committee passed HF 384 with IFC/NRA-backed amendments today in a broad bipartisan vote of 17-4. Be sure to thank the committee members who supported this bill:
House Judiciary Committee Members Supporting HF 384:
House File 384 is scheduled for a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee tomorrow, February 19, at 3:00 p.m. This bill, with a proposed NRA-supported amendment, will legalize the ownership of firearm sound suppressors, also referred to as “silencers,” in Iowa. Currently illegal to own under Iowa law, suppressors are legal to own under federal law and in 39 states. While they do not eliminate the sound of a firearm, suppressors do reduce the muzzle report of the gun much in the same way that a muffler reduces exhaust noise from a car or truck.
Your NRA has been working with both chambers of the state legislature to pass a bill this session to make this improvement for firearm owners, shooters and sportsmen. Amendments aimed at severely restricting civilian use and ownership of suppressors, should they become legal, will be offered in committee. It is critical that you call AND e-mail members of the House Judiciary Committee TODAY and urge their support for HF 384 WITH the proposed NRA-supported amendment only. Committee members can be reached through the central switchboard at (515) 281-3221 and their e-mail addresses are provided below.
There are numerous benefits associated with the use of suppressors, including increased accuracy due to reduced recoil and muzzle blast, protection from hearing damage and reduced noise pollution. Noise complaints are being used more frequently as an excuse to close shooting ranges, informal shooting areas and hunting lands throughout the country. Increased use of suppressors will help to eliminate many of these complaints and protect hunting and shooting areas well into the future. Suppressors are an effective means of reducing hearing loss among shooters. The facts are clear. Iowans deserve the freedom to choose and use these beneficial safety devices.
IFC/NRA Backed HF535 Passes in IA House! Vote of 95-3!
On Monday, March 18, 2013, the 2nd Amendment, common sense and the rights of gun owners prevailed. IFC/NRA-backed HF 535 passed by an overwhelming vote of 95-3. Introduced by state Representative Matt Windschitl (R-17), this important legislation prohibits the publication of the names and addresses of individuals possessing Iowa permits to acquire or carry weapons.
The majority of our Representatives understood that media access to, and publication of, the personal information of law abiding permit holders does not increase public safety. Sadly, three Representatives did not grasp this basic fact. Those Representatives are Pat Murphy (D-Dubuque), Bruce Hunter (D-Des Moines) and Chuck Isenhart (D-Dubuque). Please keep these three names in mind when they are up for re-election. We don’t need individuals who lack a fundamental respect for our Constitutional rights representing the citizens of this great state.
Special thanks go out to Rep. Matt Windschitl for leading the effort in the Iowa House and his tireless dedication to the 2nd Amendment rights of all Iowans.
The fight isn’t over yet. The bill now moves to the IA Senate for consideration. Please keep your eyes open for upcoming Action Alerts on this important legislation.
Iowa Sheriffs and Deputies Association Shows Strong Support
Unfortunately, other groups that claim to be “pro-gun” are creating chaos with their same old tactics of sowing discord and controversy where there is none. The latest example of this is their attempt to gin up fear that the ISSDA is using intimidation and the power of their offices to suppress the rights of law abiding gun owners in Iowa. Nothing could be further from the truth. The ISSDA was a strong and consistent supporter of HF 535 from the beginning. We here at IFC recognize that support and are grateful for it.
Firearm Industry Economic Development
As a reminder, many businesses in the firearm industry are under attack by oppressive laws and regulations in the states where they currently operate. This is making it increasingly more difficult for them to provide us the selection and quality of product, at competitive prices, that we have come to expect and enjoy. Iowa could be a great new home for these companies.
Please take a moment and use our Action Center to ask Governor Branstad to reach out to these businesses and encourage them to consider Iowa. Iowa’s workers would welcome these financially sound companies and their high quality jobs, making this the right move for all concerned.
Fighting for your Second Amendment rights in Iowa,
Jeff Burkett
President, Iowa Firearms Coalition
NRA Endowment Member
Two important bills for advancing and protecting Iowans Second Amendment rights passed on the House floor on Leap Day. The Iowa Right to Keep and Bear Arms Constitutional Amendment (HJR 2009) and the Iowa Family Defense Act (HF 2115), Stand Your Ground and Castle Doctrine, which were crafted by Rep. Matt Windschitl (R-56) with input from the NRA, Iowa Firearms Coalition and Iowans.
The bills were passed after House Democrats protested by walking out of the Statehouse for over 6 hours yesterday because House Republican Leadership brought the bills to the floor for debate, but they eventually came back to engage in the process.
We want to take time to thank YOU, our IFC members, NRA members and fellow neighbors and supporters who continually utilize our Action Center (on the IFC site and on Facebook) to communicate support to legislators. Our solidarity and unity in message have helped create a strong front at the Capitol and we’ve developed a solid reputation with legislators for our efforts.
We also want to thank Speaker Kraig Paulsen, House Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer, Assistant Majority Leader Matt Windschitl and House Republican Leadership for their commitment to advance strong pro-Second Amendment bills that honor the rights of Iowans.
Also, remember our valued relationship with the NRA and their hard work here in Iowa. We sincerely appreciate the effort of NRA State Liaison for Iowa, Chris Rager, for his work lobbying alongside IFC lobbyists each and every day.
We have a lot of work to do going forward in the Senate, and we still have work to do in the House on other bills, but it’s time to take a moment to celebrate an important milestone for Iowans!
Fighting for your Second Amendment Rights in Iowa,
Jeff Burkett
President – Iowa Firearms Coalition
NRA Endowment Member
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