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First Monday and Every Monday |
Keep Guns Out of Cars, Shopping Malls, Restaurants, Theaters, Sports Stadiums, Public Parks, and Government Buildings |
| Lawmakers should oppose HF 2688 that would allow nonresidents to carry concealed weapons in Iowa HF 2688 would make several changes to Iowa law regarding the issuing of permits to carry concealed weapons. One of the changes would allow nonresidents to carry concealed weapons in Iowa if the person has a permit to carry in the person’s home state. Iowans for the Prevention of Gun Violence (IPGV) urges lawmakers to oppose gun permit legislation that would allow nonresidents to carry concealed weapons in Iowa without a valid Iowa permit. Background Under current Iowa law, a permit is required to carry a concealed weapon in public places. Applicants for a nonprofessional permit to carry weapons are required to complete a minimum four-hour firearm safety training course and pass a background check. In addition, applicants are required to provide “reasonable justification” of the need to go armed. Applications must be made in the country that the applicant resides. Permits are issued by and at the discretion of local county sheriffs. Many states issue permits to carry concealed weapons to any applicant who is not prohibited from possessing firearms under federal or state law, regardless of a justifiable need to go armed. Usually this means that they have not been convicted of a felony crime, a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, or been adjudicated mentally incompetent or involuntarily committed to a mental institution. Thus, HF 2688 would allow nonresidents to carry concealed weapons in Iowa under conditions where the person could not obtain an Iowa permit to carry.
Lawmakers should oppose HF 2688 IPGV urges lawmakers to oppose HF 2688 because it sends the wrong message that if more private citizens carried guns we would all be safer, when in fact guns kill and injure approximately 120,000 Americans each year. The overwhelming scientific evidence is that whenever guns are introduced into an environment, the result is more gun deaths and injuries. The two environments that have been studied the most are homes and workplaces.
Guns in the home. Numerous studies have shown that the presence of a gun in the home makes the home less safe for its occupants. It increases the risk of a homicide, suicide, or unintentional shooting of a family member. One comprehensive study of gunshot injuries in the home found that a gun kept in the home for self protection was 22 times more likely to be used to shoot a family member than a criminal intruder in self defense. For each time a gun was used to kill or injure in self defense, there were 7 homicides or attempted homicides, 11 suicides or attempted suicides, and 4 unintentional shootings to family members (Kellerman, Journal of Trauma, 1998).
Guns in the workplace. A recent study of workplace homicides in North Carolina found that workplaces that allowed workers to carry firearms and other weapons at work were 5-7 times more likely to be the site of an on-the-job homicide compared to workplaces that prohibit workers from carrying weapons (Loomis, American Journal of Public Health, 2005). Just as guns in the home or workplace increase the risk of gun death or injury in these environments, reasoned analysis suggests that more guns in Iowa’s public places will only increase the risk of gun death or injury in public places. It should be noted that the State of Iowa recognizes the danger from guns in public places by prohibiting weapons at the State Capitol Building. A sign posted at the entrance reads:
NO WEAPONS OR EXPLOSIVES ALLOWED ALL PERSONS AND PACKAGES SUBJECT TO SEARCH If guns made us safer, why are guns prohibited at the State Capitol Building? HF 2688 would make it more likely that more private citizens will carry loaded and concealed handguns in their cars and in Iowa’s public places, including shopping malls, restaurants, theaters, sports stadiums, public parks, and government buildings. A variety of state and national public opinion surveys have shown that most Americans are opposed to citizens carrying concealed weapons in public places. A Harvard Injury Control Research Center national survey (1999) asked, “Do you think regular citizens should be allowed to bring their guns into (a) restaurants, (b) bars, (c) college campuses, (d) hospitals, (e) sports stadiums, and (f) government buildings?” The overwhelming majority of Americans – generally more than 90 percent of respondents – said “no” to each location. Lawmakers should consider the wishes of the vast majority of Iowans, including gun owners, that don’t carry concealed weapons, don’t want to carry concealed weapons, and don’t want to sit next to a person in a movie theater who is carrying a loaded handgun. |
