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.”
On a personal note, I’d like to challenge you to think about the mindset of a Sheriff that takes AN OATH to support the Constitution of the United States, then advocates against the civil liberties and the human rights of his or her citizens and constituents. That appears, at its heart, to be a disqualification for office. In Libertatem – Michael Ware – IFC Board
IOWA SHERIFFS PUBLICLY ENDORSE FREEDOM AMENDMENT
(TIPTON, Iowa) — Seven Iowa Sheriffs are publicly endorsing the Freedom Amendment ahead of the November 8th general election. They include Sheriff Warren Wethington (Cedar County), Sheriff Dan Tredrow (Van Buren), Sheriff Quinn Riess (Muscatine), Sheriff Keith Davis (Wayne), Sheriff Jared Schneider (Washington), Sheriff Jason Barnes, (Madison), and Sheriff Robert Rotter (Iowa).
“As peace officers, we swore an oath to uphold the Constitution of Iowa and the Federal Bill of Rights,” said Cedar County Sheriff Warren Wethington. “The right to keep and bear arms is a fundamental and God-given right and it’s passed time that Iowans have the same state-level civil rights protections as Americans living in the rest of the country.”
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.
Wethington tells the Iowa Firearms Coalition it’s his belief, despite the widely publicized condemnation of the Freedom Amendment by one eastern Iowa Sheriff, who is also a well-known activist within the Democratic party and partner of far-left out-of-state organizations in his crusade against Iowans’ constitutional rights, that the vast majority of those who wear badges also support the Freedom Amendment.
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 the Freedom Amendment but a strong majority of everyday Iowans too.
The Iowa Firearms Coalition, an affiliate of the NRA and NSSF, is a 501(c4) nonprofit and is Iowa’s only effective pro-Second Amendment rights organization.
Just a reminder Iowa’s Senate Majority Leader, Jack Whitver, 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 Senator Whitver, 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.”
With a 100% record in the Senate supporting the second amendment, northeast Iowa’s Dawn Driscoll faces a tight race in the new district 46 against Senator Kevin Kinney. IFC chair John McLaughlin finds out why Driscoll is recommending all Iowans vote For the freedom amendment. In case you’re wondering why we’re concerned about this race, there are clear reasons for concern. Senator Kinney has consistently said he supports the Second Amendment. However, his votes reflect that only part of the time. Close to only half, in reality. Senator Driscoll, you ask? She’s as consistent as the mail. ALWAYS on time and always with us. Go compare their voting records on our Legislative Scorecard tool at the IFC-PAC site. That’ll show each and every vote Senator Driscoll supported.
I’ve encouraged folks to create and submit a letter to the editor in their local papers. It isn’t hard to find your voice and support the mission. Here was my recent submission regarding the Freedom Amendment:
Voting has begun and Iowans can vote the “Freedom Amendment” into existence. Iowa is one of only 6 states that doesn’t have an expressed Right to Keep and Bear Arms provision. Iowa should leave the California, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Minnesota club and join the rest of the Nation.
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.”
“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. 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.
Interestingly, the recent Bruen decision (NYSRPA v Bruen) has directed lower courts to use an ever more rigid test in Second Amendment cases. Neither the Bruen directives, nor the imposition of a strict scrutiny standard, should be reasonably expected to call into question existing laws. That will not change – and has not in the three states that have imposed strict scrutiny.
Support the Freedom Amendment on the back of the ballot in the lower right hand corner. If you choose not to utilize your rights, so be it. But don’t vote to take them, or any civil liberty, from others. And always remember, they aren’t “gun” rights – they’re human rights.
Take this if you like, a variation of your own, or simply encourage folks to vote YES for basic human rights. As long as you put forth the gumption to let your voice be heard, you’re helping more than you’ll realize.
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