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This bill would have created a distinctive vehicle license plate featuring the famous “Don’t Tread on Me” flag. During the War for Independence, the Gadsen flag became the first ensign of the Continental Navy. It has always been an icon of Liberty. Such a license plate would be a great complement to Iowa’s own flag, with its motto, “Our Liberties We Prize and Our Rights We Will Maintain”.
As the Gadsden Flag is frequently associated with Second Amendment rights, the introduction of this license plate would have been an appropriate recognition that nearly two-thirds of Iowa voters recently approved the Freedom Amendment, adding strong protections of the right to keep and bear arms to Iowa’s Constitution.
The bill provided that the fees for this specialty plate would have funded grants for education and training on these fundamental rights. In the awarding of these grants, the bill specified that “first consideration” would go to the official state association of the National Rifle Association and similar organizations. Iowa Firearms Coalition is, of course, the official state association of the NRA.
This bill was important to the future of IFC. It passed the House with bipartisan support and we had expected the Senate to approve it and send it to the Governor. It is not entirely clear why it failed in the Senate, but this is a severe blow to IFC’s plans to use those potentially significant grant monies for important educational initiatives, scholarships, and the like. It is too early to determine if it will be feasible for IFC to try to revive this effort in the next legislature.
Finally, we need to discuss the death of HF654 – the Safer Families Act.
Provisions of this failed bill included:
A much-needed correction to an erroneous word introduced into Chapter 724.15 in 2021. The error has resulted in the Iowa Courts wrongly prohibiting persons sentenced for certain misdemeanors from possessing firearms for two or three years.
“Cleanup” language (Chapters 724, 483A, 321G) in the wake of changes made in 2021, including:
Repeal of the obsolete “Manner of Conveyance” hunting statute that prohibits having a long gun in a vehicle on a public highway unless it and its magazines are unloaded and the gun is broken down or cased
Repeal of obsolete and confusing statutory language regarding carrying firearms on ATVs/snowmobiles
Elimination of several of the few phony “No Guns” zones remaining in Iowa law:
Publicly accessible and non-secure state and local government parking lots
Correctional facility parking lots (in locked vehicles in non-secure lots)
Regents’ university and community colleges (weapons in locked private vehicles)
Vehicles transporting children in foster care
Repeals the prohibition on casino management approving lawful carry of guns
Firearm Safety and Hunter Safety Instruction Programs in Schools
Allowed certain qualified retired law enforcement officers to carry firearms on school grounds
Persons with a Permit to Carry Weapons may have a concealed pistol or revolver in their vehicle while picking up or dropping off at a school
After a strenuous multi-year effort by IFC to craft and champion this important bill, it passed the House during the first session of the 90th General Assembly last year. The bill in its final form had dropped several provisions IFC had sought, but it included the most critical ones and laid the groundwork for more advancements in the future. Unfortunately, due to several other controversial issues taking up much of the Representatives’ time and attention last year, the bill was passed and sent to the Senate very late in the session. It also contained a provision regarding insurance coverage for schools that choose to train and arm staff members that turned out to be too problematic and needed to be modified or removed. For this and other reasons, the Senate failed to take up the Safer Families Act, but IFC worked to ensure that it was put on the unfinished business calendar. IFC fully expected that the Senate would take it up this year, amend it as necessary and send it back to the House.
Unfortunately, various circumstances combined to prevent that from happening. IFC worked until the very last days of the session to overcome the obstacles but were ultimately unsuccessful. Therefore, we begin now to plan how to revive these important legislative initiatives in the 91st General Assembly, most likely in a different form.
The Safer Families Act was an omnibus bill, meaning that it had several divisions dealing with separate parts of the Iowa Code. Such bills have both advantages and disadvantages. An advantage is that if you can get such a multi-part bill through the committee process and to the floor, there need be only one debate and final vote, whereas separate bills with the same provisions each have to pass through the committee process and then require separate debate and votes on the floor of the legislative chamber. Of course, an obvious disadvantage of a multi-part bill is that various parts may find different legislators in opposition, often making it difficult to gather sufficient support for the whole. IFC has had some great successes with omnibus bills, including the massive and momentous one in 2017. The permitless carry bill in 2021 was a mini-omnibus. However, it is IFC’s sense that going forward, we will need to focus on multiple smaller bills, each with a narrower scope. It certainly seems that tactic will bring a greater chance of success in the Senate.
Iowa Firearms Coalition intends to continue to build on our record of success in ensuring that the Iowa government recognizes, protects, and respects our fundamental right to keep and bear arms. We will continue to work to maximize individual liberty by streamlining and clarifying Iowa’s laws on weapons and use of force, and by eliminating unnecessary, obsolete, or unconstitutional regulations whenever possible.
To do this, we need your help! We need our current members to renew or upgrade their memberships and to encourage their friends, family, and acquaintances to join as well. IFC’s mission is to protect the civil rights of all – and there is strength in numbers.
Additionally, especially throughout the primary and general election campaign seasons, contact your Representative and Senator. Let them get to know you and your concerns, especially regarding Second Amendment-related issues. If you want to eliminate phony “No Guns” zones, TELL them. If you think that schools should offer elementary students vital firearm safety instruction, TELL them. If you want to be able to voluntarily contribute to important education and training on the right to keep and bear arms by buying a “Don’t Tread on Me” Gadsden license plate, TELL them! Seek them out at events in your community or when you see them at the store or on the street. Let them get to know YOU and what you expect of them.
Together we can continue the restoration of essential liberty that is represented – and ultimately protected by – our natural and fundamental right to keep and bear arms.
-Richard Rogers – IFC Board Member and Chief Lobbyist
IFC Victories and Disappointments in the 90th Iowa General Assembly
Iowa’s 90th General Assembly adjourned its second and final regular session in the wee hours last Saturday morning. Legislators left the Capitol after three and a half months and headed to their homes throughout the state. Some legislators are retiring, while others will now begin to ramp up their campaigns for the election next November – or, in some cases, for the primary election in June. Now is an appropriate time for those of us in the Second Amendment community to begin to evaluate how we fared in the 90th GA and start to plan for the 91st. First, the good news…
In case you missed the disappointments, take a LOOK HERE to view them.
Part I – Victories
Of the bills of primary interest to IFC this year, the following are the ones that passed both the House and Senate. The Students First Safety Act and the Second Amendment Privacy Act were signed by Governor Reynolds almost immediately. We expect that she will sign the others as well.
This bill is focused on enhancing security in Iowa’s schools. It directs school districts with a minimum enrolment of eight thousand students to employ at least one private school security officer or school resource officer in each high school building. These officers are required to undergo annual and quarterly training approved by the Iowa Department of Public Safety (DPS). School districts with less than eight thousand students are also encouraged to utilize security officers.
Most importantly in IFC’s view, the bill authorizes the issuance of professional permits to carry firearms to qualified school employees who comply with the initial and recurring training requirements to be established by DPS. Under this new law, school employees who meet these requirements and are authorized by their school to be armed are granted qualified immunity should they need to use reasonable force in the performance of their employment. The schools are also granted qualified immunity. It is expected that this provision will facilitate the ability of Iowa schools that choose to arm staff members to obtain insurance coverage by encouraging competition in the marketplace. The company that currently enjoys a virtual monopoly on public school insurance in Iowa has so far refused coverage to any school that authorizes armed staff.
IFC is confident that eliminating schools as phony “gun-free zones” and establishing rapid response security teams composed of armed school staff members is the single most effective means of limiting casualties should evil threaten to harm Iowa’s school children.
HF2652 – school security infrastructure
This bill established requirements and standards to improve public school security and provided for the training of existing school staff to form armed quick-response security teams under the provisions of the Students First Safety Act.
This bill is intended to prevent discrimination on the basis of transactions involving firearms and ammunition. It prohibits the assignment by financial institutions, credit card processors, etc. of transaction codes to Iowa-based retailers that specifically identify them as firearms dealers. The new law also prohibits a person or any unit of Iowa government from keeping a record or registry of privately owned firearms or their owners, with exceptions for criminal investigations, prosecutions, and the like.
HF2556 – a bill to strengthen current protections against regulation of weapons by political subdivisions of the state by establishing a schedule of damages that may be awarded by the court in lawsuits brought against a local government for enacting or maintaining an unlawful restriction in violation of Iowa Code 724.28. The damages may be assessed up to $5,000 for unknowing violations and up to $25,000 for knowing violations. This law becomes effective on Jan. 1, 2025. IFC wishes to acknowledge and thank Rep. Bill Gustoff for authoring this bill and shepherding it to enactment with wide bipartisan support. Rep. Gustoff is not only a great legislative champion of your Second Amendment rights but has been IFC’s attorney since our creation.
HF2421 – a bill to limit the liability of a federal firearms licensee (FFL) that enters into voluntary “firearm hold agreements” “for any act or omission arising from or subsequent to a firearm hold agreement and resulting in personal injury or death…, including the return of a firearm to the individual firearm owner…at the termination of a firearm hold agreement.” This bill was sought by Iowa mental health advocates and championed by IFC.
While several other minor bills endorsed by IFC passed, these – and the two failed bills to be discussed in Part II, were the main focus of IFC’s testimony at the Capitol and of our efforts to educate both legislators and the public.
Tomorrow, we’ll discuss two major disappointments and the implications of those losses.
-Richard Rogers – IFC Board Member and Chief Lobbyist
The Member’s Field Report was submitted by a long-time IFC Volunteer. Enjoy!
“OLLIE-OLLIE-OXEN-FREE”
Children enjoy playing Hide and Seek. As they make their way to Home, the Hiders do their best to not be discovered by the Seeker who would then Tap them OUT. Once they are seen, the kids run as fast as they can to reach Home and then yell out “OLLIE-OLLIE-OXEN-FREE”! It is a “Catch as Catch Can” game. You either Win or Lose, it is pure competition at its best. The lessons learned are valuable.
In our State Capitol, our legislators play the same game. It is easy for those of us around the State to become frustrated by the whole process, and we throw up our hands in despair.
Well, wait a Minute! Iowa has 99 Counties; each one is unique unto itself, and each one represented in the Legislature. I recently had the opportunity to visit one of those Counties and found “OLLIE-OLLIE-OXEN-FREE” in the hundreds!
In Franklin County, in the town of Hampton, Iowans who value Our Republic held a Republican Fundraising Rally featuring several Top Line speakers. The flyer introduces Sheriff Mark Lamb from Pinal County Arizona.
In addition, we heard from Iowa’s Attorney General Brenna Bird and from State Representative Shannon Latham.
Sheriff Lamb told us that our Nation IS facing serious problems. He described the illegal border crossing situation in down-to-earth terms. The illegals pass right on through Arizona on their way to Iowa and other States. We have seen them moving North as we drive to Arizona! The Sheriff made his point clear that we are ALL Border States now!
He discussed the assault on our 2nd Amendment rights. The Sheriff showed us that our country was founded as a Constitutional Republic…we are Not a Democracy! As he spoke about “The Rain” coming down on us, he advised us to Not throw up our hands in Despair! “The Rain” encourages us to do something, to Engage in the battle for our Country. He invoked George Washington several times as a Fighter in “The Rain”!
Sheriff Lamb has Firsthand Experience with these issues facing our Nation. The man knows what he is talking about! It was an informative and interesting program. He noted that our 2nd Amendment Rights are Fundamental to the Nation! He encouraged us to Get Involved!
Iowa’s Attorney General, Brenna Bird, spoke about the challenges we are facing. She made it clear that “President” Joe Biden never fails to give her an opportunity to sue his administration, which she Gladly looks forward to every day! The attack on the 2nd Amendment was a Big Constitutional Issue for her. She had to return to Des Moines that evening to deal with yet another lawsuit against the Biden Administration!
Agriculture and the Iowans engaged in it are an important part of regaining control of our Nation! The State Representative from North Iowa, District 55, Shannon Lathamspoke about the challenges that Farming Communities faced, especially Eminent Domain issues and underground pipelines. She is deeply involved in the Legislative process and The Game of Hide and Seek. She was confident that the Citizens of Iowa would be able to declare “OLLIE-OLLIE-OXEN-FREE” at the end of this session.
We were Greeted warmly after the 90-minute drive North to Hampton Iowa. SURPRISE! There were over two hundred conservative Iowans who value our Constitution and Bill of Rights! The meeting began with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Honor Guard Detail presenting the Flags followed by The Pledge of Allegiance.
Our Fellow Iowans were positive and determined to step forward and take back control of our Nation. We came away from this Rally looking forward to better times!
The Iowa Firearms Coalition (IFC) is major factor in the State Legislative process. Our lobbyist is Richard Rogers, who is known as one of the very best lobbyists in the State. He understands the game of Hide and Seek!
The IFC is working to protect our 2nd Amendment Rights, even as the ATF is now trying to make each of us a Law Breaker. The IFC can Loudly call out “OLLIE-OLLIE-OXEN-FREE”, as they were involved in making our schools safer places through Teacher Firearms Training.
If we follow Sheriff Lamb’s advice…we will step forward and renew our memberships in the IFC. Write our Senator and Representative. Attend a Rally. Pass on the word that “The Rain” encourages Patriots to take action to protect our Homes and Nation. He finished with this thought…. “If You don’t Fight, you won’t Win”. Fight to protect your 2nd Amendment Rights!
I mentioned earlier that Iowa has 99 counties. Every County has a group like those in Franklin County. The IFC supports these Pro-2nd Amendment groups. Every one of these conservative groups is working to protect our Nation so that they can declare – “OLLIE-OLLIE-OXEN-FREE” – and come Home to Our Republic!
Six Minutes That Could Change Everything! Time and math. Six minutes that could save hundreds of future lives in our schools. If you are a parent, school board member, teacher, administrator, coach, cook, bus driver, or fan in the stands, please watch and consider. This should interest you, especially if you know the gratuitous harm of innocent children is wrong. If you wish to take a deeper dive, check out this IFC blog and theVideo.
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In Franklin County, in the town of Hampton, Iowans who value Our Republic held a Republican Fundraising Rally featuring several Top Line speakers. The flyer introduces Sheriff Mark Lamb from Pinal County Arizona.
our country was founded as a Constitutional Republic…we are Not a Democracy! As he spoke about “The Rain” coming down on us, he advised us to Not throw up our hands in Despair! “The Rain” encourages us to do something, to Engage in the battle for our Country. He invoked George Washington several times as a Fighter in “The Rain”!
spoke about the challenges that Farming Communities faced, especially Eminent Domain issues and underground pipelines. She is deeply involved in the Legislative process and The Game of Hide and Seek. She was confident that the Citizens of Iowa would be able to declare “OLLIE-OLLIE-OXEN-FREE” at the end of this session.
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