LEGISLATIVE UPDATE AND HOW ARE IFC & IFC PAC FUNDED? By: Dave Funk / President, IFC
This week’s President’s Update covers two things. First item is a quick legislative update and second will be an explanation of how IFC and IFC PAC are funded.
Last week was the first of the scheduled Iowa Legislative assemblies “Funnels”. The short explanation of the process is that bills that have not been passed out of one chamber’s committees are dead for this year. They can be revived, but it takes leadership intervention.
The Education Bill’s firearms training requirements have unfortunately failed to survive the first funnel. On the plus side, both the Safer Families Bill and the anti-ESG bills have moved forward out of committees. More to come on both of those in the near future. Watch the IFC PAC website where our PAC maintains a bill tracker and legislative scorecards so you can see exactly what is on the docket, and how Iowa Representatives and State Senators are and have been voting.
How Are the IFC and IFC PAC Funded?
Second; I’m often asked how IFC and the IFC PAC are funded. The funding for just the non-profit portion of IFC is predominantly through memberships. We do get cash donations and some items donated that we can sell or raffle off. Pretty much anyone can donate to IFC.
IFC ‘s Political Action Committee however has to comply with Iowa’s Campaign Ethics and Finance Board rules. That means IFC PAC has to account for every donation above $20 and is limited to only accepting donations from individuals or other PAC’s. Corporate donations are not allowed and we cannot coordinate with other campaigns.
If you want to help IFC and IFC PAC in their missions, join IFC and renew your membership yearly, consider volunteering your time, and get a couple of friends to donate.
Part of our Mission Statement is:
“IFC PAC, just like the rest of the Iowa Firearms Coalition, is a single-issue, non-partisan, all-volunteer organization. We’re made up of everyday Iowans. We don’t get paid to do this. We all have families, and we all live and work right here in Iowa. Fighting to protect and enhance our Second Amendment rights is what we do. We choose to do this because we truly value our freedoms and are willing to sacrifice to protect them.” To help the PAC, you can learn more about the PAC and donate here.
Shoot Straight, Speak The Truth, and Never Surrender Our Liberties.
Here is a 2A Day visual reflection for you, in case you missed it:
IFC was joined by many contributors and certainly our key sponsors, RMA Armament, Volquartsen, and CrossRoads, (All “trusted partners” of IFC) for a fantastic day of 2A advocacy and sharing. Representative Eddie Andrews offered us an invocation prayer, a pair of youth advocates led the Pledge of Allegiance, and Representative Brook Boden tuned up the Capitol building rotunda with a soul-warming National Anthem!
What a day! Representative Phil Thompson, Senator Brad Zaun, and Senator Jason Schultz all gave us hope and direction on IFC-sponsored and monitored bills.
NRA and NRA-ILA came out in force, as always, to work side by side with us, and again this year the NSSF was in the Capitol to stop government overreach and stem the advance of ESG madness.
We enjoyed families bringing their homeschooled kids in to experience the day, Iowans of all ages submitting cards to visit with their elected officials, and we even had a quick address from our new Attorney General, Brenna Bird.
IFC Chair, John McLaughlin, and President, Dave Funk were busy all day with interviews and glad handing. Lobbyist and board member Richard Rogers was lifting heavy bills into position with legislators. Vice President, Nathan Gibson, was emceeing the entire event and got the crowd rolling! Gun Show Director, Billy Wilson, and our entire volunteer crew came out in force to make the day a huge success. This takes hours of planning and a lot of work the day of… The Iowa Firearms Coalition is fortunate to have key people organizing and executing these events, and while they’re not all mentioned by name, some near and some far, you know who you are! 😉
Our featured guest speaker this year was Kris “Tanto” Paronto, whom you may remember from the book “13 Hours” and the movie, “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi” – Tanto is an example we can all reflect upon. Life gives you lemons and it is up to us to make lemonade. Tanto’s life story is proof lemonade can not only be made but offer the sweetest flavor imaginable.
As Tanto spoke with our crowd in the Capitol Rotunda, people learned of his journey, and even more so when he shared much more deeply at our IFC-PAC fundraiser last evening. Thank you to all the volunteers, members, partners, and colleagues that came together to make a great day. And thank you to the legislators and governing body that consider rightly the freedom-loving nature of Iowans and work so hard to protect our liberties.
IFC-PAC Steak Supper Fundraiser with Special Guest Speaker, Kris “Tanto” Paronto. Come out to support IFC’s Political Action Committee, enjoy a great steak with all the trimmings, drinks, and great conversation. A real special treat for this big evening is the conversation you’ll have with Kris Paronto.
Kris Paronto offers a firsthand account of what happened on the ground during the 2012 Benghazi attack. Bringing valor, compassion, and authenticity to the stage, Kris shares the unforgettable story of the brave individuals who fought back in Benghazi along with key takeaways on leadership and teamwork that can be applied in any environment.
Steak, potato, salad, soft drinks, and tap beer included.
The exclusive IFC-PAC Dinner has officially sold out! We would like to thank all of the IFC members and supporters for standing with us over the years, and for attending 2nd Amendment Day! If you didn’t get your tickets, no worries, this is the first of many IFC soirees. So, become a member if you’re not, and stay tuned for what’s to come!
The IFC-PAC would like to invite you to a limited engagement fundraiser. The political action committee has secured “The Front Row” (9956 Swanson Blvd, Clive IA 50325) on February 24th at 6pm following 2A Day at the Capitol. $75 PAC donation gets you a good steak dinner with sides, draft beer/soda, etc. This will be a meet & greet of the 2A Day presenters, as well as a push towards Iowa having 2A protections in the State Constitution with a future passing of the Freedom Amendment.
Purchase your tickets HERE for the PAC Dinner! Tickets are limited to 75 total seats, so don’t hesitate to contribute to the IFC-PAC, support the cause, and enjoy a great supper with much camaraderie!
Iowa Firearms Coalition is now an affiliate of Mountain Man Medical – Click the link Here to see the great tools and discount Iowa Firearms Coalition is offered. As always, thank you for the support.
Great News! Iowa Firearms Coalition has partnered with Firearms Legal Protection in offering an exclusive discount for members of IFC to be protected after defending against an attacked. Watch the video below to learn more.
Nobody is more committed to the Second Amendment in Iowa more than the Iowa Firearms Coalition. Over the years we’ve witnessed many injustices and we’ve actively addressed each of them one by one as they pertain to the 2A. That is part of our mission. We’ve been involved in court cases, which we’ve won, and have stopped tons of bad legislation along with having helped pass great legislation. I say “help” because none of this work gets done without diligent daily work with the Legislature and often the Governor’s office.
There have been many times I’ve run into a person I knew or had a customer through my shop that took time to tell me how great their Representative or Senator was on our issues. And often when they were able to name them, I would have the not-so-fun labor of pointing out that their elected official, in fact, voted against their rights rather than in support of them. This was a point of discussion within IFC often enough we decided to build a tool to track legislative performance. Our “PAC” site now contains a legislative scorecard so anyone can quickly and easily find their legislator, see their score, and look at the bills they voted for or against.
This tool is free for all you to use. Most importantly, you should let your elected officials know you’ll be watching them now, as that chore just became exponentially easier and faster. In fact, it might be valuable to forward them THIS LINK to the IFCPAC site so they can see just how well or poorly they have rated themselves through their actions on behalf of their constituents. I’m sorry, but there are a lot of elected officials that will tell you they support the Second Amendment, but their votes say otherwise. Don’t be bamboozled. KNOW the truth. Use this free tool to see how your Representative and Senator performed for you!
Below is an IFCPAC site and tool kit walkthrough for each of you to use to learn more about the tools we’re offering to the public:
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