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CCW4IOWA.com
Please, read this entire page, then return here to go to IowaCarry.org
Under the current laws of the Sate of Iowa, a law abiding resident of the State who desires to carry a concealed weapon must apply for a Permit to Carry Weapons to the sheriff of the county where he/she resides. A person who desires such a permit, but who is not a resident of Iowa, must apply to the Commissioner of Public Safety. The decision to issue a Permit to Carry Weapons is made solely at the personal discretion of these authorities. If either decides to not issue a permit, the decision is final. There is no avenue of appeal.
As the Permit to Carry Weapons is valid statewide, we have the current ludicrous situation in which a resident of a county where permits are issued is allowed to obtain a permit that allows him/her to legally carry a concealed weapon in counties where sheriffs refuse to issue the permit. The phrase “…..unequal protection under the law…..” should immediately spring to mind. So should the word, graft.
In the past few years, several studies of national scope have determined that states with laws that liberally allow for the carrying of concealed weapons, particularly handguns, experience violent crime rates that are significantly lower than the national average. States that have moved from prohibiting or severely restricting the carrying of concealed weapons to easing the restrictions have experienced dramatic drops in violent crime rates, particularly the crimes of rape and aggravated assault.
Additionally, it has been found that, as a class, persons who apply for permits to carry concealed weapons, by and large, are less likely than the general public at large to commit felonious acts.
Some people suffer from the delusion that the police will protect them, thus there is no reason for persons other than the police to carry handguns. If you are one of these people, please read DO YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO POLICE PROTECTION?
A change in the Iowa concealed weapons laws is clearly needed!
During the 77th General Assembly of the Iowa Legislature, Senator Steve King (Republican) introduced SF2289. The purpose of SF2289 was to eliminate the discretion of the county sheriff and Commissioner of Public Safety as the criteria for determining if a Permit to Carry Weapons would be issued. It provided a consistent and objective legal standard for the issuing of the permit.
SF2289 suffered from two problems. First, it contained a couple of ambiguities that would likely have still allowed for unchecked personal discretion of the county sheriff or Commissioner of Public Safety. Second, it died in the State Government Subcommittee of the Iowa Senate by one vote. The deciding negative vote was cast by Senator Maggie Tinsman (Republican) of Davenport.
It is truly unfortunate that there is so little awareness of the movement to change Iowa’s concealed weapons laws. Virtually nobody, including members of the NRA, has heard of SF2289 or of any effort toward change. For this reason, CCW4IOWA was founded.
The purpose of CCW4IOWA is two-fold. The primary function is to lobby state legislators to change the Iowa concealed weapons laws to eliminate bureaucratic discretion as the means of issuing the Permit to Carry Weapons. The second function is to advertise to Iowa’s gun owners that there is an organized effort to effect such a change.
CCW4IOWA is nonprofit and does not solicit or accept any monetary contribution. What is accepted, in fact is required, is commitment. Members must be committed to speak about this very important issue. Members must be committed to tell their friends, neighbors, and relatives of the need to change the Iowa concealed carry laws. Members must be willing to hang some posters, and pass out some cards at a gun show, in a coffee shop, at the barber shop, etc. Members must write (or e-mail) their Iowa State Legislators and tell them to sign on with the effort to change Iowa’s concealed carry laws to allow all law abiding Iowans to carry concealed weapons for their own protection if they so choose.
The citizens of Texas had to fight a seven-year battle to win their right to carry concealed weapons. Unfrotunately, the wait was too long for Dr. Susan Gratia Hupp. Dr. Hupp had to watch helplessly as James Purdy murdered her parents and others at Luby's Cafeteria in Killeen, Texas. She was unable to stop Mr. Purdy with her own .38 special reolver because Texas law forced her to leave it in her car.
By creating a united front, we can shorten the legislative struggle for Iowa. We are currently in our eighth year.
To join, or to get additional information, click the e-mail link below.
Click here to see The PROPOSED CODE CHANGE for Iowa concealed carry law.
If you have not already done so, please click on this link and sign the CCW4IOWA PETITION
The 2004 Iowa Republican Platform contains a plank calling for the change to "Shall Issue." CLICK HERE and scroll to section 6.10.
To find and contact your State Senator and State Representative, click on the IOWA GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOMEPAGE
Check out IowaCarry.org to see the CCW friendly counties in Iowa.
Also A Human Right.com
If you don't know much about firearms, are scared of firearms, or just want to learn a little more, check FIREARMS DE-MYSTEFIED.
To get another person's take on the issue, read IF YOU DON'T VOTE LIKE A GUNOWNER, YOU SUCK!.
Another great forum site is TACTICAL FORUMS.
If you need help in refuting the arguments of those who want to trample upon our right to keep and bear arms, or if you just want some more information, read TAKING ON GUN CONTROL.
If you have links that are of interest, use the Free For All Links button below to add them.
Of the two dominant political parties, the Republican Party has been more supportive of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms than has been the Democratic Party. As such, we have tended to be more supportive of the Republican Party. This, however, does not mean that we wish to exclude members of the Democratic Party. There are and have been Democratic legislators and others who have supported our Second Amendment Rights. One of note was the late Sheriff Don Gebers of Ida County. He freely issued concealed carry permits to anyone who passed the criminal background check. He played no favorites. He certainly was far more fair in the issuance of permits than are many current Republican sheriffs. The point is, this organization welcomes members of any political party, and we implore members to lobby their legislators, of whatever party, to enact legislation to eliminate the personal whims of county sheriffs and the Commissioner of Public Safety in the matter of the issuance of the Permit to Carry Weapons and require the issuance of the permit to any legally qualified applicant.
Here's a thought. Most of the schoolyard shooters have been on either Ritalin or Prozac. These drugs are little more than legalized methamphetamine. The results of their use are remarkably and tragically similar. Maybe we should abolish the practice of using drugs as a substitute for discipline in our classrooms. Maybe we need to punish bad behavior rather than prohibit the possession and use of legitimate tools in our society. And maybe we need to seriously re-examine, and abolish, those STUPID "Zero Tolerance" policies that equate toys and pictures with weapons in our schools.
A friend recently asked why I don't push for "Vermont syle" law for Iowa instead of "Shall Issue". For those who don't know, Vermont has no law pertaining to concealed carry, therefore, the carrying of concealed weapons by any non-felon is legal so long as the weapon is not used in the commission of a crime. I believe that this is great, except that it precludes you from carrying in another state that honors "Out of State" permits, as you would have no permit to display. If anyone has any information to refute this, please let me know.
I have often heard the argument that the Second Amendment was written at a time when all firearms were single-shot muzzle loaders. To these people I say: Try carrying a single-shot muzzle loading firearm down the street, either openly or concealed, without a permit and see what happens when the police find out about it. Further, I submit that by using the logic of these people, it is then certain that the First Amendment right to freedom of the press does not apply to radio and television.
Whether you are Democrat, Libertarian, Republican, or Whatever, I think that you can agree that Governor Vilsack has to replaced with a Republican and we are going to have to retain the Republican majority in the Iowa House and regain the Repubican majority in the Iowa Senate in 2006 to get Shall Issue passed. If there are any Democrat legislators or gubernatorial candidates who disagree, they need to get on the "Shall Issue" bandwagon RIGHT NOW.
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Thank you for viewing this website. Keep in mind that it will always be a work in progress with edits and up dates, so check back often. And, please, spread the word.
Now that you have visited the CCW4IOWA Homepage, please, visit IowaCarry.org
Second Amendment Foundation
National Rifle Association
Gun Owners of America
Mothers Arms
Packing.org
Pink Pistols
Send E-Mail to: ccw4iowa@yahoo.com
Copyright © 2006 Duane Brown, Chairman of CCW4IOWA. All Rights Reserved