In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.
Options

Iowa members, write your reps

skyfishskyfish Member Posts: 1,068 ✭✭✭✭
Write your legislator, make sure they support the real House File that makes it legal to carry any firearm if you can buy it, just like New Hampshire. It is House File 596

Don't let those libs get House File 2255 going, just crap to get them re-elected this fall that doesn't help.

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here
IGO Banner
Quick Link:

www.IowaGunOwners.org

Join Our Mailing List
Featured Article
What action, if any, do you want your members to take? Add a "Find out more" link to additional information that you may have hosted on your website
In This Issue

Iowa Gun Owners E-mail Alert
February 4, 2010

Dear Members and Friends of Iowa Gun Owners,


Since our mailing went out last December, Iowa Gun Owners continues to add new members and supporters to our membership list as well as this email alert list. As our dedicated volunteers continue to add this information to our database we will continue to welcome all the new people reading this email alerts for the first time.

So again we will briefly describe to our newest supporters what the REAL Right-to-Carry bill would do.

Also, please take a moment to learn who is actively blocking our efforts to improve your right to keep and bear arms in the article below. We are asking that you take just a moment to send the pre-written email below to your elected officials.

Finally, we'd like to thank a few of the members of the Iowa House who have stood fast (largely due to your constant communication with them) and not supported any compromised concealed carry bills that would erode our 2nd Amendment rights here in Iowa.

For Freedom,

Aaron Dorr
Executive Director
Iowa Gun Owners



Update on the REAL Right-to-Carry Bill

To recap, currently in Iowa if you want to carry a weapon to defend yourself or your family you need to get permission from your sheriff to do so. In certain parts of the state you can get these permits pretty easily. In others, you can not get permits at all. There is no one else to apply to either, leaving the sheriff with the complete power to decide who's life is worthy of defense and whose is not.

Further, in many counties, while you can get a permit, it can be regulated so heavily as to be virtually worthless - leaving you with a permit that is only good in very specific cases.

Iowa Gun Owners is promoting the REAL Right-to-Carry bill as the answer to this abusive system. The REAL Right-to-Carry Bill would allow any law abiding Iowan the right to carry a weapon for self-defense WITHOUT having to first beg government permission. This is patterned after the common sense gun laws in Vermont and Alaska where permits are not required of law abiding citizens.

Last session, Iowa Gun Owners, working with our bill sponsor Rep. Kent Sorenson, was able to secure a tie procedural vote on this historic legislation.

This session our bill, HF596, is lodged in sub-committee. Continue reading below for more information of who is supporting the REAL Right-to-Carry bill and who is not.
Enemies of the REAL Right-to-Carry

Politicians are human beings, just like you and me. As such they get nervous from time to time. Right now in Des Moines, there are a lot of nervous anti-gun politicians who are watching the days go by and trying to figure out a way to win their re-election bids later on this year. They are aware of the anti-incumbent wave that is sweeping the nation and they are scared.

So in an attempt to bolster their image with the voters in their districts these anti-gun and closet anti-gun politicians are seeking political cover. This is only possible if another gun bill, besides the REAL Right-to-Carry bill, is introduced into the General Assembly that is so compromised that even an anti-gunner can vote for it.

Unfortunately, one such bill has emerged this session. House File 2255, sponsored by Rep. Clel Baudler, would do the following things:


* Still require that law abiding Iowans beg permission from the government to be able to carry a weapon for self-defense.
* Raises the age on applicants for a carry permit from the present 18, to 21. So if you are a veteran, returning home from war and are still under the age of 21, you would not be able to carry in Iowa because you are not considered mature enough. Even for those who are not vets, this bill denies young Iowans their right to keep and bear arms for an extra 3 years!
* Incorporate federal language into Iowa code regarding mental health that makes it easier for some psychologist to deny you your gun rights based on their say so. This dangerous policy, as interpreted by the BATFE, has lead to some 200,000 vets having their gun rights taken from them. This has been aptly tracked by Gun Owners of America and more information can be found about this on their website. This issue is so divisive that just last week, on Capitol Hill in Washington, the Veterans Affairs Committee unanimously, and with bi-partisan support, passed a bill out of their committee that would finally provide vets with the needed due process protections that they currently lack. Clearly even the politicians in Washington realize how abused this current language is - and the Baudler bill would bring that same mess into Iowa.
* Incorporate the dangerous Lautenberg language into Iowa code. This is the idea that anyone with a domestic violence misdemeanor conviction can't possess or carry a handgun. While this is federal law right now, it's not been put into Iowa code yet and we see no reason why a "pro-gun" bill should do so. In fact, recently the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the conviction of a man who was convicted of having a weapon after having been declared prohibited due to a domestic violence conviction. The court said that the defendant's 2nd Amendment rights were not forfeited on account of a mere misdemeanor. We could not agree more - and we can't understand why anyone would want to throw up more roadblocks to gun ownership here in Iowa.


We could go on - but likely you get the idea. (In addition, IGO members deserve a major round of applause here because as bad as this bill is, it was far worse in its original form. Your constant pressure being expressed to your elected officials regarding this bill has directly impacted it and made it "better" according to sources at the Capitol.)

What is starting to become evident now at the Capitol is that those who are not truly pro-2nd Amendment want to kill the REAL Right-to-Carry bill by leaving it stuck in committee where they will never have to vote on it. Instead, these anti-gun folks want to be able to vote on another bill, being touted as pro-gun, to receive the political cover for being pro-gun, when as we've shown above, this bill is clearly not.

If these politicians want to prove their commitment to your gun rights they should simply move the REAL Right-to-Carry bill out of sub-committee and then onto the floor and pass it.

Anything less than that is making concessions up front to anti-gun politicians. Why would a "pro-gun" organization, or Representative, make this kind of deal?

We've spoken to Representative Baudler about this but he needs to hear from you as well. Please take a moment to contact Representative Baudler and demand that he support the REAL Right-to-Carry bill - the same bill he voted in support of last legislative session - by working to move it off the sub-committee where it currently is stuck. (Rep. Baudler is on the sub-committee and could do a lot to see it passed onto the full committee.) Tell him that his bill is dangerous as it takes guns out of the hands of many Iowans and makes dangerous concessions to the anti-gun lobby in Des Moines.

You can contact Representative Baudler by calling 641.431.3309

In addition, in the last few days at the Capitol, representatives from Iowa Gun Owners have received very hostile responses from Rep. Ray Zirkelbach. Zirkelbach, who says he is in favor of gun rights, refuses to even speak to us at the Capitol and needs to hear from you as well. Rep. Zirkelbach can be reached at 319.480.0296



You should know that the calls you make and the emails that you send are having a major impact at the Capitol. I see it every day down there. Elected officials are telling us daily that they are receiving constant emails and phone calls regarding the REAL Right-to-Carry. Some have even asked us to stop the calls. We tell them that the calls will stop when they vote the right way. So thank you for all your work so far and please take a moment to call these individuals today. In addition, you can email them the pre-written email below by using the following email addresses:


clel.baudler@legis.state.ia.us

ray.zirkelbach@legis.state.ia.us



Pre-Written Email


Dear Repsentative _____________________,

As a 2nd Amendment supporter in Iowa I am very concerned about House File 2255 that is currently being touted as a pro-gun bill.

This bill makes it easier for Iowans to lose their gun rights if they are: young Iowans, vets returning from military service, or people with certain mere misdemeanor convictions.

Any bill that weakens Iowa's gun laws is a bad bill and I would urge you to drop your support of this bill and instead support the REAL Right-to-Carry bill. This bill eliminates the need for law-abiding Iowans to have to seek government permission for the right to defend themselves and their families. This bill, House File 596, needs your full support. I would ask that you drop your support of the dangerous HF2255 and support HF596 instead.

2nd Amendment enthusists across Iowa are now watching to see who truly supports the 2nd Amendment and who just says they do.

Sincerely,

Supporters of the REAL Right-to-Carry
Often you receive alerts from us telling you about an anti-gun politician who needs to hear from you immediately about some anti-gun bill he's promoting or an anti-gun vote that he needs to vote no on.

Today I'm happy to tell you about some supporters of the REAL Right-to-Carry bill, besides our bill sponsor Rep. Kent Sorenson, at the Capitol that have stood fast and not supported a compromised carry bill.

These Representatives needs to hear from you as well - they are under a lot of pressure - yet they have remained true to the 2nd Amendment.

They are:
Rep. Matt Windschitl (matt.windschitl@legis.state.ia.us)
Rep. Jason Schultz (jason.schultz@legis.state.ia.us)
Rep. Chris Hagenow (chris.hagenow@legis.state.ia.us)

Please take a moment to email these Representatives and thank them for their stance on the 2nd Amendment. Your calls and emails played a major role in keeping their feet anchored and they deserve to hear from you now.
Contact Us

You can contact us in the following ways:

Email: info@iowagunowners.org

Phone: 515/309-7858

Mail: P.O. Box 3585, Des Moines, IA 50323

Website: www.IowaGunOwners.org

We're also on Facebook. Search for the 'Iowa Gun Owners' group and join the group.


If you want to support the work of Iowa Gun Owners, or join us as a member ($35 per year), please click HERE.

Comments

  • Options
    wpagewpage Member Posts: 10,204 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Aaron is right on with this If you live in Iowa write call and email those reps let them know on no uncertain terms vote correct or you will vote them out!
Sign In or Register to comment.