Thanks as always to The Other McCain, Bacon Time, Pirate’s Cove and Whores and Ale for the Rule Five links! Now then: Iowa’s Governor has signed into law an act adding my old home state to the list of Constitutional-carry states. Excerpt:
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law Friday a law that loosens regulations on gun ownership by eliminating the need for a permit to buy or carry handguns in the state.
The new law takes effect July 1, with many calling it a “constitutional carry” bill.
“Today I signed legislation protecting the Second Amendment rights of Iowa’s law-abiding citizens while still preventing the sale of firearms to criminals and other dangerous individuals,” Reynolds said in a statement Friday afternoon.
The Republican acknowledged that the bill will not stop “bad actors” from acquiring handguns, but that it will protect her citizens’ rights.
The bill does not provide blanket freedom to purchase guns without some hurdles.
Here’s where the usual suspects chime in:
Democrats and gun violence prevention groups had called on Reynolds to veto the legislation.
“A person could be able to purchase a firearm from a private seller with no background check and then carry that firearm anywhere in public without any type of firearms proficiency training if this bill is adopted,” State Senate Minority Leader Zach Wahls, D-Coralville, told Reynolds on a call, according to the Des Moines Register.
Well, OK then – according to USACarry.com, sixteen states have some variation or another on no-permit-required, Constitutional carry, including our own adopted home of Alaska. Surely it would be the simplest of things for this Wahls character to assemble some statistics on the horrible increase in accidental shootings and crimes committed with guns in those states following passage of these laws.
So why hasn’t he? Probably because no such statistics exist. As is always the case, the dire predictions of the gun-banners never come to pass.
This is an issue affecting a natural right, one enshrined in the Bill of Rights. Strict scrutiny applies. On that score, Mr. Wahl, you fail. Our rights take precedence over your paranoia.
