blake
Life Member
County Sheriffs say they'll comply with new firearms law
Des Moines Register: Many Iowa sheriffs still have grave concerns about a new state gun law, but they will follow its requirements on issuing permits to carry weapons, two leading sheriffs said Wednesday.
Under a law that takes effect Jan. 1, sheriffs will no longer be able to require gun owners to keep their weapons concealed when they're in public.
Nor can sheriffs restrict individuals from carrying handguns while consuming alcohol, leaders with the Iowa State Sheriffs and Deputies Association said.
"The Iowa Legislature has spoken, and Iowa sheriffs intend to fulfill their professional responsibility to uphold the laws of Iowa," said Bremer County Sheriff Duane Hildebrandt, who becomes president of the sheriffs association next year.
Iowans can seek permits under the new law, starting Jan. 3. The Legislature passed the law last spring.
In an unusual pairing, Democratic leaders in the Iowa House, Iowa Senate and governor's office sided with the National Rifle Association last session and not with the sheriffs association, which strongly opposed the gun legislation.
The NRA successfully fought to make Iowa a "shall issue" state, meaning that sheriffs in all 99 counties must follow the same rules for issuing gun permits. It's a gun bill that Republicans failed to move when they controlled the governor's office or Iowa Legislature.
Gun rights advocates had maintained that certain Iowa sheriffs routinely denied people guns without good cause.
The sheriffs association said sheriffs currently issue more than 36,000 weapons permits statewide a year, and deny few permits.
Many Iowa sheriffs — but not all — dislike the new law, saying it doesn't require proper training for carrying weapons in public.
Hildebrandt said Wednesday that sheriffs expect Iowans to line up for the new weapon-carry permits. The new permit will be popular because it's good for five years rather than one, and because sheriffs can't restrict it in any way, he said.
The new law requires sheriffs to issue permits to carry weapons to Iowans who aren't disqualified by short list of state or federal restrictions, and who have completed minimal training called for in the legislation, he said.
The new law no longer requires firearms proficiency for new permit applicants, Hildebrandt said. So people who have never had a permit before can get one after sitting through a classroom presentation; they don't need to show proficiency in using a gun.
Sheriffs continue to have concerns about the consequences of the new law, said Warren County sheriffs deputy Brian Vos, the current president of the sheriffs association.
Most, if not all, sheriffs used their discretion to restrict gun owners to keep their firearms concealed in public. Starting Jan. 1, sheriffs can't add that restriction. Any Iowan with a legal permit can openly display a gun on a hip or over a shoulder, association leaders said.
Iowans also will have the ability to carry a gun in public while consuming alcohol, they said.
However, once a gun owner becomes intoxicated, the permit to carry is invalid, state public safety officials said. The state defines intoxication as having a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more, or having any amount of controlled substance detectable in blood or urine.
Sheriffs have been working with the state Department of Public Safety officials to accurately interpret the new law and to prepare to carry it out, Vos said. New permit applications will arrive in sheriff's offices by next week.
Des Moines Register: Many Iowa sheriffs still have grave concerns about a new state gun law, but they will follow its requirements on issuing permits to carry weapons, two leading sheriffs said Wednesday.
Under a law that takes effect Jan. 1, sheriffs will no longer be able to require gun owners to keep their weapons concealed when they're in public.
Nor can sheriffs restrict individuals from carrying handguns while consuming alcohol, leaders with the Iowa State Sheriffs and Deputies Association said.
"The Iowa Legislature has spoken, and Iowa sheriffs intend to fulfill their professional responsibility to uphold the laws of Iowa," said Bremer County Sheriff Duane Hildebrandt, who becomes president of the sheriffs association next year.
Iowans can seek permits under the new law, starting Jan. 3. The Legislature passed the law last spring.
In an unusual pairing, Democratic leaders in the Iowa House, Iowa Senate and governor's office sided with the National Rifle Association last session and not with the sheriffs association, which strongly opposed the gun legislation.
The NRA successfully fought to make Iowa a "shall issue" state, meaning that sheriffs in all 99 counties must follow the same rules for issuing gun permits. It's a gun bill that Republicans failed to move when they controlled the governor's office or Iowa Legislature.
Gun rights advocates had maintained that certain Iowa sheriffs routinely denied people guns without good cause.
The sheriffs association said sheriffs currently issue more than 36,000 weapons permits statewide a year, and deny few permits.
Many Iowa sheriffs — but not all — dislike the new law, saying it doesn't require proper training for carrying weapons in public.
Hildebrandt said Wednesday that sheriffs expect Iowans to line up for the new weapon-carry permits. The new permit will be popular because it's good for five years rather than one, and because sheriffs can't restrict it in any way, he said.
The new law requires sheriffs to issue permits to carry weapons to Iowans who aren't disqualified by short list of state or federal restrictions, and who have completed minimal training called for in the legislation, he said.
The new law no longer requires firearms proficiency for new permit applicants, Hildebrandt said. So people who have never had a permit before can get one after sitting through a classroom presentation; they don't need to show proficiency in using a gun.
Sheriffs continue to have concerns about the consequences of the new law, said Warren County sheriffs deputy Brian Vos, the current president of the sheriffs association.
Most, if not all, sheriffs used their discretion to restrict gun owners to keep their firearms concealed in public. Starting Jan. 1, sheriffs can't add that restriction. Any Iowan with a legal permit can openly display a gun on a hip or over a shoulder, association leaders said.
Iowans also will have the ability to carry a gun in public while consuming alcohol, they said.
However, once a gun owner becomes intoxicated, the permit to carry is invalid, state public safety officials said. The state defines intoxication as having a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more, or having any amount of controlled substance detectable in blood or urine.
Sheriffs have been working with the state Department of Public Safety officials to accurately interpret the new law and to prepare to carry it out, Vos said. New permit applications will arrive in sheriff's offices by next week.
Last edited: