By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Democrat anti-gunners are predicting bad times ahead in Iowa, where Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed legislation lowering the age for owning and carrying handguns to 18, but supporters of the measure, which takes effect July 1, say it’s time to recognize the rights of young adults.
According to the Des Moines Register, the legislation, known as House File 924, was supported by nearly all Republicans and opposed by nearly all Democrats.
KGAN News noted the bill “sparked strong opinions on both sides.”
The station quoted Democrat Rep. Lindsay James of Dubuque, stating, “I have always been a supporter of common-sense gun safety, and so I did not vote for that particular piece of legislation primarily because of my concerns around young people and increased violence on high school and college campuses.”
She was further quoted arguing, “We just saw a shooting at Florida State, and so there’s a lot of concern about 18-year-olds being able to conceal handguns and bring them into their schools.”
However, the FSU shooting involved a suspect who did not have a license to carry, and was using a firearm allegedly belonging to his stepmother.
On the other side, the Des Moines Register reported Rep. Steven Holt, a Denison Republican, stating, “I joined the Marines when I was 18, I graduated from boot camp when I was 18. I was carrying firearms in the military, ready to defend my country when I was 18, along with hundreds of thousands of other young men and women. So the idea that an 18-year-old, a 19-year-old, a 20-year-old, doesn’t have a right to own a firearm in protection of their families — which is really what the Second Amendment is about, right?”
As noted by the Des Moines newspaper, HB 924 “The bill follows several recent court decisions across the country, including in New Orleans, Virginia and Minnesota, that ruled against the federal law requiring Americans to be 21 to buy handguns.”
The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms applauded Gov. Reynolds for signing the measure.
“This is a major victory for young adults in Iowa,” said CCRKBA Managing Director Andrew Gottlieb, “and it could have a future ripple effect which other states can follow. It recognizes that citizens in the 18-to-20-year age group should have full rights, since they can already enlist in the military, get married, start businesses, run for office, sign contracts, buy homes and vote. Why shouldn’t young adults be able to own and carry a sidearm for personal protection?”
