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Sweeping Gun Rights Bill Passes Iowa House, Headed to Senate

Mary Lou Lang Contributor
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The Iowa House passed Tuesday a pro-gun rights bill that would allow residents to sue local governments that impose weapons restrictions and also included a stand-your-ground provision.

The Republican-controlled chamber voted 58 to 39 on the gun bill, mostly among party lines, according to The Republic.

The gun bill would allow residents to use deadly force anywhere to avoid injury or if they felt such force was necessary for their safety or their life. The bill will now head to the Republican-majority Senate where it already has support.

Two Democrats also voted in favor of the bill, according to a report in Radio Iowa.

Republican Rep. Matt Windschitl of Missouri Valley, the sponsor of the bill, said gun rights have been “encroached upon” for “generations.”

“We have a right to carry firearms for protection and self defense,” Windschitl said.

But Democratic Rep. Mary Wolfe told Radio Iowa the bill sets a dangerous precedent.

“You can stand your ground now. Shoot first. Ask questions later,” Wolfe said. “That’s not the kind of Iowa I want to live in.”

The NRA, on its website, urged its members to contact senators to ensure passage of the legislation.

The bill refiled as House File 517 would also allow children aged 14 and older to possess a firearm under a parent or guardian’s supervision.

“A parent or guardian or spouse who is twenty-one years of age or older, of a person fourteen years of age but less than under the age of twenty-one, may allow the person while under direct supervision to possess a pistol or revolver or the ammunitions therefor for any lawful purpose while under the direct supervision of the parent or spouse or guardian,” the bill states.

Republican Rep. Shannon Lundgren told Radio Iowa “restrictive” gun laws aren’t working in Chicago.

“The bad guys will kill you to get what they want,” Lundgren said. “With this bill, the good guys — law-abiding citizens — are now able to protect themselves.”

Lundgren did not respond by press time to a request for comment from The Daily Caller.