It just goes to show you, folks. Most of us have set up our payments on scheduled systems that literally take care of it for us. So, when we have a card number change, there are dozens of places that need updated payment information. Word on the street is, Kayla Lyons, IA Director of the DNR, was checked during a fishing trip and her license wasn’t current. It is claimed further, she asked for a citation, which I believe to be a classy move. I wasn’t there, so I don’t know that to be true or untrue. But, in the few times she and I have interacted, Director Lyons appeared to be a very forthcoming person, so the claim that she willingly sought to pay her fine, and skip a warning, doesn’t surprise me.
I remember the first time I was pulled over for speed while visiting my hometown, with my kids in the car. An officer, who was a good friend, was going to let me go, but I thought it best to be cited and take my lumps. Why? It sure wasn’t because I like paying fines. Rather, I had two pairs of little eyes in the back seat that needed to see how we’re supposed to behave in the real world. Our consequences are irrevocably bound to the choices we make, right?
So, kudos to Kayla for taking responsibility. Her stock just rose in my book. But, this is a really good reminder for us all in two ways. 1st, take responsibility. 2, we have all kinds of payments, licenses, permits, etc. that expire or need to be updated. If your fishing/hunting licenses are on autopay, and you have your card compromised, you probably forgot to update it after the bank issued you a new one. Sure, you’re going to remember to update things like your utilities or monthly bill payments, but things that happen far less often might get forgotten. …And nobody likes that sick feeling when you learn you’ve been breaking the law by accident. Especially when you learn it from a guy with a badge.
I have a lot of people that pop into my shop to buy or transfer a firearm, and occasionally I have to turn them away because their permit is expired or their driver’s license. Check your licenses before you go to use them. It only takes a second or two to verify that you’re good to go before heading out into Iowa’s outdoors. And thanks again, Director Lyons, for offering a good example to us all.
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.”
Many have been confused by the inclusion of the term “strict scrutiny.” The choice of this phrase was quite purposeful since 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, yet courts have generally avoided using it when considering possible violations of the right to keep and bear arms. 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.
The hard-working volunteers at Iowa Firearms Coalition will need your help as we approach November! The major anti-freedom groups are already lining up and pledging large sums of money to fight the Freedom Amendment. So, what can the citizen of Iowa do?
2. Share our posts from the Iowa Firearms Coalition with people in your network. We need digital warriors working to spread the word every single day to combat shadow banning and the social media algorithms that have severely limited the reach of our posts! IFC on Facebook
3. Consider donating to our sister organization, IFC-PAC, so we can develop targeted advertising to drown out the attacks of groups like Bloomberg’s “Everytown for Gun Safety,” which want to strip away your Second Amendment rights. IFC-PAC Donation
4. Encourage your friends and neighbors to vote in favor of the Freedom Amendment on November 8th!
A House Staffer was arrested in Washington, DC for carrying an unregistered weapon into Congress while also not having a license to carry it. To be honest here, I have no issue with someone carrying an unregistered firearm, or without a license to do so if they’re lawfully allowed to possess firearms. In Iowa we have the luxury of not having a firearm registry, we have Constitutional Carry, and we can legally carry into our beautiful State Capitol.
However, we’re not talking about Iowa here. We are talking about the most heavily policed state in the country and even they can’t get it right. With a place that has facial recognition, more police per capita than nearly anywhere else in the country, and more dreamt up security measures than one can imagine. I understand, DC is not perfect, clearly. In my mind I would assume of all places DC would be the radical lefts shining beacon of gun control that works, except it clearly doesn’t. We know gun control doesn’t work, that’s not the argument here.
What I am trying to understand is who this staffer is, how he “forgot” a firearm, passed through security where they clearly saw a firearm, but he was allowed to stroll freely for 4 minutes putting the entire complex on lockdown prior to being stopped. In my opinion, forgetting you have a firearm on you is a lot like leaving your kid in a car while you go into the convenience store for some fatty cakes and a soda pop. You just don’t do it. This was a complete failure on security for letting him through.
Lets take a moment and disregard the fact he forgot his firearm, I don’t know the full outcome of the situation yet. So, this man is essentially made a criminal now for exercising his right to bear arms simply because the security measures that were in place, failed due to human error. As far as I can gather, possessing a firearm or ammunition is a maximum sentence in jail and a $2500 fine. I’ve also found that this has happened many times prior.
This happening on the heels of what our talking heads call an “insurrection,” one would assume they would ramp up security measures and take it more seriously. What would happen if a non staffer, like myself would wander into our nations Capitol armed. Would we be fined, have our hand slapped and released or would we be jailed indefinitely thanks to the Patriot Act. Who knows.
In closing, take the situation for what it’s worth. Even those who legislate, can’t reduce human error, and stripping rights from law abiding persons doesn’t make anyone safer it just slowly makes everyone criminals. While they sit in their ivory tower, which continues to be breached, I will sit here comfortably and responsibly armed providing my own security.
The Iowa Firearms Coalition consists of many avid hunters, just as much as we put value in the ethical harvest of game, we put value in sharing the most up to date information regarding the DNR. The following is a very important list of events we would like to encourage our members and followers to attend.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting a series of town hall-style meetings where local staff will provide updates on recently completed hunting and trapping seasons, discuss possible changes to hunting and trapping rules and regulations, and address other topics as requested. Click Here For Full Story
As a First Responder, Veteran, and hunter I can’t stress the importance of carrying first aid equipment while out on a hunt to include a quality tourniquet. The video below Iowa Firearms Chairman John Mclaughlin shares with us the importance of a quality TQ and first aid. Enjoy, and remember to please like, comment, and subscribe to our Youtube. If you like what we do and want to help out, shoot us an email at info@iowafc.org and join our ranks Membership
IFC WELCOMES NEWS OF MUSCATINE COUNTY’S “SECOND AMENDMENT SANCTUARY” STATUS
The Muscatine County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution, unanimously, on Monday to make their community Iowa’s 34th Second Amendment Sanctuary County.
“We are thrilled to see that Supervisors in one of the Quad Cities area’s largest counties have voted with one voice to uphold the rights of their constituents,” said Dave Funk, IFC President. “We would like to thank the Muscatine County Board of Supervisors for taking this important step forward towards making all of Iowa a Second Amendment Sanctuary.”
Second Amendment Sanctuary resolutions at the county level do not supersede federal law but they do prevent local resources from being used to assist the federal government in efforts that violate the Second Amendment.
The IFC has been working with state and local elected officials to protect the right of Iowans to keep and bear arms in the wake of threats by some in Washington, D.C. to support actions which would infringe upon the Second Amendment.
Iowa’s Second Amendment Sanctuary Counties, so far, also include: Mitchell, Chickasaw, Pocahontas, Hardin, Carroll, Jasper, Cedar, Washington, Madison, Mills, Adams, Clarke, Humboldt, Kossuth, Ringgold, Buchanan, Van Buren, Winnebago, Decatur, Dallas, Guthrie, Benton, Page, Lucas, Taylor, Union, Hancock, Buena Vista, Pottawattamie, Cherokee, Montgomery, Fremont and Wayne.
The Iowa Firearms Coalition, an affiliate of both the NRA and the NSSF, is a 501(c4) nonprofit and is Iowa’s only effective pro-Second Amendment rights organization.
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