Iowa Legislature approves putting pro-gun constitutional amendment in front of voters

[RandySF]

The Iowa Legislature has approved a proposed pro-gun amendment to the Iowa Constitution for the second time, paving the way for it to appear on Iowans' ballots in 2022.

The Senate approved the resolution Thursday afternoon in a 29-18 vote along party lines after about two hours of debate. Hours later, the House voted 58-41, also along party lines, to pass the same measure. Both chambers are controlled by Republicans. Every Republican present voted in favor of the amendment, while every Democrat was opposed.

Thursday's vote means that after years of work by Republican lawmakers — and a mistake by the Iowa Secretary of State's office in 2018 that required them to start over — Iowans will have a chance to vote for or against the proposal themselves next year.

The language of the proposed amendment states: "The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. The sovereign state of Iowa affirms and recognizes this right to be a fundamental individual right. Any and all restrictions of this right shall be subject to strict scrutiny."



https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2021/01/28/iowa-legislature-pro-gun-keep-and-bear-arms-constitutional-amendment-2022-ballot/4291697001/

[Straw Man]

1. It's not earthshaking.

Thirty-nine states already have similar provisions in their constitutions, including such hotbeds of conservatism as Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, and Massachusetts.