Republicans in the Iowa Legislature have passed two bills dealing with guns this week. On Tuesday, the Iowa Senate gave final approval to a bill to prevent credit card companies from taking steps that would make it easier for law enforcement agencies to identify purchases of firearms and ammunition. A day earlier, the House voted […]
Gun control
Posted inCommunity/News
Republican leaders poised to eliminate gun regulations as new amendment is officially added to Iowa Constitution
On Friday, Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate held a ceremony to mark Public Measure 1 becoming the latest amendment to the state constitution. The new amendment requires courts to use “strict scrutiny,” the most stringent form of judicial review, when considering existing or future regulation regarding guns. It’s a higher level of scrutiny than […]
Posted inEastern Iowa
Iowa City students, now living in a state where gun reform is virtually impossible, reflect on psychological toll of mass shootings
Despite bitterly cold winds, more than 50 students from Iowa City schools gathered at the Old Capitol on the Pentacrest at noon on Thursday to protest against gun violence and demand new gun safety laws. The protest was organized by students from South East Junior High School and City High School. Both junior high students […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowans overwhelmingly approve constitutional amendment that ‘prohibits current and future common-sense gun laws’
Public Measure 1, which amends the Iowa Constitution to make it harder to pass new gun safety laws and easier to eliminate existing ones, was overwhelmingly approved by voters on Tuesday. Just over 64 percent of voters statewide voted yes, and the supporters of the measure prevailed in 97 of Iowa’s 99 counties. Only Johnson […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Election 2022: Public Measure 1 would eliminate ‘current and future common-sense gun laws’
Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks was blunt in his assessment of Public Measure 1, which would amend the Iowa Constitution in a way that would stop most attempts to regulate guns in the state. “This amendment is a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” Maybanks said at a news conference on Tuesday at the Cedar Rapids Public […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Dana James: How long can we bear the cycle of mayhem and memorials?
On June 17, 2015, white domestic terrorist Dylann Roof used a .45-caliber Glock handgun to massacre nine Black churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina. In the barrage of news coverage, I vowed never to forget and memorized each victim’s name. Rev. Clementa Pinckney Cynthia Hurd Susie Jackson Ethel Lee Lance Depayne Middleton-Doctor Tywanza Sanders Daniel Simmons […]
Posted inEastern Iowa
‘I should not be predicting my death’: Iowa City students lead march to demand action on gun violence
For most students who are getting ready to start high school in the fall, a hot, humid Monday morning in June is a good time to sleep in. But a dedicated group of students about to make the transition to high school decided instead to march on Monday to demand action on gun violence. About […]
Posted inEastern Iowa
Reps. Hinson and Miller-Meeks vote against raising the age to buy semiautomatic rifles, Red Flag laws and other gun safety measures
On Wednesday, members of the Oversight and Reform Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives watched a video in which Miah Cerrillo described the mass shooting that killed 19 of her classmates and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. “He shot my friend that was next to me,” she said in a […]
Posted inEastern Iowa
As leaders debate action, gun reform advocates will don orange and demonstrate in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids Saturday
Iowa City and Cedar Rapids will both have Wear Orange events on Saturday to mark National Gun Violence Awareness Day. The Iowa City event in Wetherby Park (2400 Taylor Dr) begins at 2 p.m., and will include “speakers, kids’ activities, and a peace walk affirming commitment to a future free from gun violence,” according to […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Gov. Reynolds signs bills eliminating gun permits, giving new legal protection to gun manufacturers and sellers
On Friday afternoon, as the Easter holiday weekend was beginning, Gov. Kim Reynolds’ office sent out a news release stating that the governor had signed into a law a bill eliminating the requirement for a person to be licensed to buy or carry a gun. The bill, HF 756, was passed by the Iowa House, […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa Senate Republicans push through bills eliminating gun permits and giving gunmakers new legal protections
The Iowa Senate passed two bills concerning gun sales on Monday. The first removes the requirement for a person to be licensed to buy or carry a gun, and the second provides broad immunity against lawsuits to gun manufacturers and dealers. Both bills passed the Republican-controlled chamber on party-line votes. HF 756 and HF 621 […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Report: Gov. Reynolds has repeatedly stopped Iowa AG Tom Miller from joining lawsuits against the Trump administration
Since May, Gov. Kim Reynolds has prevented Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller from submitting friend-of-the-court briefs in 10 federal lawsuits brought by other states against the Trump administration. The cases involve environmental regulations, gun control, reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights and the treatment of asylum seekers.
