(DES MOINES, Iowa) — Former Iowa Governor and Ambassador to China Terry Branstad announced on Wednesday he plans to vote for the Freedom Amendment, which would add Second Amendment language to Iowa’s constitution, in November and he’s encouraging his fellow Iowans to do the same. The announcement was made on the Iowa Firearms Coalition (IFC) Facebook page during a broadcast of their weekly video podcast, #2A4IA Warrior Wednesday.
“It’s something that is near and dear to my heart,” said Ambassador Branstad. “I just want to be sure to encourage all Iowa voters to turn that ballot over and vote ‘yes’ for that Freedom Amendment.”
Ambassador Branstad’s endorsement comes on the heels of a recent Iowans for Tax Relief poll that found nearly 60% of Iowans plan to also support the Freedom Amendment. Their findings further showed large support among voters, regardless of which party they affiliated with.
“Ambassador Branstad spent his career working hard to advance civil rights in Iowa and we welcome his support of the Freedom Amendment,” said IFC President, Dave Funk. “The Freedom Amendment is a nonpartisan issue and it’s passed time Iowans have the same protections in their state constitution as nearly every other American.”
Similar versions to Iowa’s proposed Freedom Amendment have already been adopted by nearly every other state in the Union. Only New York, Minnesota, New Jersey, Maryland, California and Iowa do not have one.
“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.”
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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.
News, Updates, Engagement, and GET OUT TO VOTE FOR IOWA’S FREEDOM AMENDMENT – Iowa is one of only 6 states that doesn’t have the RKBA anywhere in the State Constitution. We have this now placed on the ballot in November and VOTE YES.
POLL: NEARLY 6 OUT OF 10 IOWA VOTERS PLAN TO VOTE FOR THE FREEDOM AMENDMENT
A new poll shows large support among likely Iowa voters for the Freedom Amendment heading into the November general election.
The Freedom Amendment would add Second Amendment protections to Iowa’s state constitution. Only six states, which includes Iowa, Minnesota, Maryland, California, New York and New Jersey, do not have language in their respective state constitutions that protects the right of their citizens to keep and bear arms.
The Iowans for Tax Relief poll found 58.9% of likely Iowa voters plan to support the measure in November, compared to 41.1% who reported they were either still undecided or do not plan to support it. The poll also showed broad nonpartisan support for the Freedom Amendment among both Democrats and Republicans.
“The right to keep and bear arms is a fundamental right that Iowans of all races, religions, and identities, regardless of what party they subscribe to, support,” said IFC President Dave Funk. “While we are encouraged by these poll numbers, we believe support for the Freedom Amendment will only grow heading into Election Day as most Iowans believe they should have the same civil rights protections as those that live in places like Massachusetts, Oregon and Illinios.”
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.
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!
Miller v. Bonta – US District Court Judge, Roger Benitez, ousted the 30yr old ban on the AR15 recently. Modern Sporting Rifles (MSRs) are unconstitutional to ban. You can enjoy excerpts like, “The Second Amendment protects modern weapons… They are principally AR-15 type rifles, pistols, and shotguns. Plaintiffs and others refer to them as “modern sporting rifles” although they are clearly useful for more than just sport.” and more.
Once you begin to grasp just how important “judicial review” actually is, you’ll understand why we need strict scrutiny in Iowa’s Right to Keep and Bear Arms Amendment, otherwise known as the “Freedom Amendment” that will be placed on the 2022 ballot. Here is our language:
“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.”
Enjoy the release and story from NSSF for more on this developing situation HERE.
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