Lead sponsor of the bill Mike Connolly said, “Military-style, semiautomatic assault weapons pose an unreasonable risk of death and injury to all Americans, but the risk is greatest for the nation’s law enforcement officers. A law enforcement officer is far more likely than a member of the general public to look down the barrel of an AK-47 whenever they serve a warrant, stop a suspicious vehicle on I-80, or respond to a domestic disturbance.”

According to a report by the Violence Policy Center, between 1998 and 2001, one in five law enforcement officers (41 of 211) killed in the line of duty was killed with an assault weapon. Furthermore, of the law enforcement officers killed by a rifle during this period, 75 percent (38 of 49) were killed with an assault rifle.

Considering that assault weapons are estimated to make up no more 1-2 percent of all guns in the general population, the VPC study clearly shows that assault weapons are used in a disproportionate number of cop killings.

Said John Johnson, executive director of IPGV, “America needs a strong and effective assault weapons ban. Because Congress has neglected its duty to help protect the nation’s law enforcement officers, states should enact state assault weapons bans.”

Johnson noted that last year, 95 Iowa police chiefs and 12 county sheriffs signed onto a statement calling on Congress to strengthen and renew the federal assault weapons ban. Nationwide, more than 2,000 police chiefs and sheriffs in 35 states signed the statement.

SF 207 would prohibit the possession of assault weapons by defining “semiautomatic assault weapon” as an offensive weapon in section 724.1 of the Iowa Code. Iowa law prohibits possession of offensive weapons (a class “D” felony) by anyone other than law enforcement and other authorized persons. Offensive weapons currently include the following: machine guns, short-barreled rifles or shotguns, any firearm that fires a projectile with a diameter greater than 0.60 inches, bombs, grenades, mines, and other non-explosive weapons.

Persons who lawfully possess assault weapons on the effective date of the law would be allowed to keep their weapons, provided that they obtain a “permit to possess assault weapons” from their county sheriff. The sheriff would be required to issue a permit to anyone who is not prohibited by federal or state law from possessing firearms. Alternatively, a person could remove the assault weapon from Iowa, render the assault weapon permanently inoperable, or take the assault weapon to a law enforcement agency for destruction.

SF 207 is modeled after the 1999 California assault weapons ban, which has proven to be more effective than the expired federal ban.