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 safety
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa House approves bill to prevent tracking of suspicious gun purchases on party-line vote
A bill to stop credit card companies from taking steps to help law enforcement agencies identify suspicious purchases of firearms and ammunition was passed by the Iowa House of Representatives on Tuesday. HF 2464 was approved on a party-line vote with House Democrats voting against it. The bill prohibits credit card companies from using transaction […]
Posted inCommunity/News
A new Oakridge mural celebrates the life of 14-year-old Yore Jieng
Six years following the death of 14-year-old Yore Jieng, who was killed by a stray bullet while riding in his older sister’s car, a new mural in the Oakridge Neighborhood will memorialize his life. This is the second mural dedicated to Jieng. Des Moines-native Jordan Weber designed and painted “King Yore I,” which was completed […]
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 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 inLetters
Letter to the editor: Securely store your guns, Iowa City
By Lo Whittington, Iowa City Less than 48 hours after a presentation to the school board of the Iowa City Community School District from concerned citizens on the subject of preventing gun violence in our schools, parents received a notice from the ICCSD of a nationwide gun violence threat to schools promoted on social media […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Moms Demand Action want Iowa City to ‘go orange’ on June 2-3, and fight for better gun laws
Orange is a color associated with safety, and during the first weekend in June, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America want people to wear the color in memory of victims of gun violence and as an expression of determination to work for more effective gun regulations. This is the third year for the […]
Posted inLetters
Letters to the editor: New Iowa and U.S. gun policies threaten public safety
The 2017 legislative session brought sweeping changes with the passage of what some have called the most comprehensive pro-gun bill in Iowa’s history. Although a number of these changes are concerning to public safety proponents, two fundamental pieces of regulation have been retained under the gun omnibus bill—background checks and permit to carry. These measures are critical to saving lives—data show that states that require background checks on all handgun sales have 47 percent fewer women shot to death by intimate partners, 47 percent fewer suicides by gun and 53 percent fewer law enforcement officers shot and killed in the line of duty. Similarly, research shows that states that weaken their permit systems and limit the ability of law enforcement to deny permits to dangerous individuals see a 13-15 percent increase in violent crime. In short, these two policies are a critical part of maintaining public safety and reducing gun violence.
Posted inOpinion
Opinion: Expanding legal gun use for minors isn’t Iowa Nice, it’s Iowa Insanity
I try to see things from the other perspective. Even though I don’t agree with — nor do statistics bear out — the need for handguns in homes, I believe I have some understanding of what motivates gun owners. They want protection. They want to feel power in a world that sometimes makes us feel […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Talking to kids about the Coral Ridge shooting
When Bonnie Lieberman arrived at the Coral Ridge Mall shortly after 7 p.m. on Friday, June 12, she had planned on a quiet night of family fun. She and her husband, Scott, had brought their son, Tyler, 8, and their daughter, Olivia, 4, to skate at the mall’s ice rink. “Our son was asking if […]
