To the editor:
I am writing to express concern about Senate File Bill 535, which allows “permitless carry” for Iowans.
This letter is not about opposition to Second Amendment rights. This legislation is falling under the guise of everyone will be more secure, if everyone who wants a gun will have a gun. This legislation is supported by the National Rifle Association and serves to aid the gun manufacturers to sell more guns.
I recently attended a class to obtain a permit to carry and learned many safety features regarding the handling of a gun — secure storing of the guns and bullets, safely loading and then actually going on the range and shooting — many things that I did not know.
Under this legislation, a gun may be purchased from a private seller, thus avoiding the federal background check. Numerous safeguards are being eliminated, and persons such as felons, domestic abusers or persons suffering from mental illnesses will be given access to handguns. This legislation compromises safety.
It is not too late to stop this legislation. While it passed the funnel date of March 5 by coming out of committee in both chambers, the legislation has not been debated and passed out of the House. Please contact your House Representative if this bill is causing you the anxiety that it is causing me.
Mary Weaver
Rippey
You can pass all the laws you want but if someone wants a gun bad enough, they will get one. I can pretty much guarantee I could go to just about any big city with 100 bucks and get a gun in a matter of hours if not sooner.
I dare you to prove that. To be sure, most urban areas are flooded with guns, legal and otherwise, but why is that so? Most firearms in the metros are either stolen from collectors and gun stores or bought at a premium from middle men who get them at rural, southern and small state gun shows. $100 would get you something likely to blow up in your hand or hotter than Asian ghost peppers. If they did sell you significant ordnance, it would cost you several times over what you’d pay at a gun show or federally licensed gun store. Besides, you’re ducking the whole issue here. The letter concerns itself with carrying without a permit and the elimination of background checks. The author made a point of acknowledging being trained in the use and storage of guns and bent over backwards making it clear she wasn’t against gun ownership. Your reaction reminds me of what my grandmother used to say,
“Don’t holler until you’re hurt!”
I have a permit to carry, and I carry all the time. If you don’t think you can get a reliable weapon on the cheap, you are naive. The one I carry cost me 200 bucks at a licensed dealer, so don’t tell me there aren’t cheap guns out there. I wish there was a surefire way to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and irresponsible people, but I don’t know what it is. My advice is get your permit to carry if you haven’t already, and have the peace of mind that God forbid you ever have to use it in self-defense or to protect others, you will be able to do just that.