By Paul Lathrop
Contributing Editor
The Des Moines Register is reporting that the Iowa Senate passed legislation that would make the current purchase permit and carry permit systems optional in the state.
The Senate passed the bill on a strictly party-line vote of 31-17 Monday afternoon.
If Governor Kim Reynolds signs the bill, it will make The Hawkeye State the 20th state to do away with law-abiding citizens’ requirement to ask permission to carry a firearm.
Permits would still be issued to those who want them for out-of-state travel, and 36 states currently honor the Iowa permit.
Besides doing away with the mandate to have a permit to carry a firearm, the bill would also prohibit landlords who receive federal assistance funds for low-income housing from banning the possession of firearms on their properties.
It would strengthen the law against private parties selling firearms to someone they know is a prohibited person.
Governor Reynolds has not yet indicated whether or not she will sign the bill. Reynolds took over the Governorship when Terry Branstad resigned to accept the Ambassadorship to China and won the seat on her own in 2018.
A spokesperson for Reynolds declined to comment on the legislation. Reynolds has previously said Iowa has “reasonable and responsible gun laws on the books” and that she believes the current permit system — for which she voted for as a state senator in 2010 — should remain in place.
The Governor now has three days to either sign, veto, or take no action on the bill. If she takes no action within three days, the bill becomes law without her signature.
