Sheriff Pickett hopes proposed ‘2nd Amendment’ bill addresses public safety concerns | Waverly Newspapers

Second Amendment

[ad_1]

If you decide today to purchase a handgun in Iowa, you would have to apply to the sheriff’s office of the county you reside in for a permit to acquire and a permit to carry.

The sheriff, upon reviewing your background, shall issue the permits, provided there are no prohibitors on the record, such as domestic assault, among others.

But under a proposal that is gaining traction at the legislature, House Study Bill 254, or as it is colloquially called “Iowa’s Second Amendment Bill” by its GOP proponents, instead of a permit to purchase through the sheriff’s office, Iowans will be cleared by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which is done at a licensed firearms dealership.

Bremer County Sheriff Dan Pickett says he is worried that if that proposed measure becomes law in its current form, public safety may become an issue.

Pickett said that his concerns are two-fold: Under the current system, law enforcement can find out from their squad car computer the background information about the permit status of a person. If no such information is available, as he is worried the case might be under the proposal, law enforcement would be going into potentially dangerous situations without that knowledge, Pickett said.

This means deputies responding to a situation would not have information at their fingertips about the status of gun owners when critical decisions need to be made.

Pickett further argued that the sheriff’s office today is actively involved in monitoring, annually, the permits, which are issued for a five-year period. These yearly checks allow the sheriff’s office to update information about permit holders, and ensure that prohibitors have not cropped up in the interim. If, from the point of issuance of the permit to the point of the annual check, a person is charged with a felony or an aggravated or a serious assault, or is mentally adjudicated, for instance, the sheriff suspends the permit; and upon conviction, it is revoked.

Pickett said he addressed his concerns with Rep. Sandy Salmon, R-Janesville, last week.

In her most recent newsletter, Salmon said that the bill poses no risks to public safety.

“This bill will reassure law-abiding citizens that they do not need the government’s permission to practice their constitutional right to keep and bear arms,” she wrote.

Black Hawk County Sheriff Tony Thompson, who is the president of the Iowa State Sheriffs’ and Deputies Association, said the organization is working with the Republican legislators who have authored the bill, as well as with the NRA, and the Iowa Firearms Coalition “to make sure if/when this passes, it is the safest bill possible.”

“People will still get background checks and permits for expediency in purchases and for multistate reciprocity,” Thompson said.

In her newsletter, Salmon said that the bill also makes Iowans safer by “allowing law enforcement and reserve officers to carry firearms on school grounds regardless of whether or not they’re on duty.”

“This is common sense,” she said. “If there’s a dangerous situation on school property, trained law enforcement officers should be able to step up and protect the students, teachers and administrators.”

Salmon noted 18 other states already have similar laws:

“Background checks remain in place under our new bill,” she wrote. “Replacing a permit to carry or purchase with a NICS check doesn’t make Iowans any less safe and doesn’t allow disqualified persons to have firearms…. If there were huge negative consequences to this measure we would have heard about it. But follow-on discussion has been minimal.”

Pickett said he is a “huge supporter of Second Amendment rights,” but remains concerned about the impact of the bill on public safety because the annual task of reviewing the background of permit holders does appear to be left out of the proposed bill.

“Some don’t understand what’s done and how’s done,” he said. “I’m waiting to see if there are some things that can be worked on. Hopefully, this can be done. Hopefully, something can be done for the protection of everybody. I just want to make sure when this thing is completed, they have into account some of the safety measures we discussed. I am glad that the Iowa State Sheriffs and Deputies Association is working together with the NRA, and hopefully we will come up with a solution that works out for everybody and public safety.”

[ad_2]

Source link

Articles You May Like

2 controversies over political rhetoric illustrate the perils of blaming gun control critics for murder
Tim Walz Drops Special Session After ‘Assault Weapons’ Ban Falls Flat
Across the aisle: shootings, safety and the Second Amendment
Child Shot and Killed in Chicago’s Washington Park
At Least 30 Shot During Weekend In Democrat-Run Chicago

25 Comments

  1. 495516 568340Hi there! I just want to give a huge thumbs up for the very good data you can have right here on this post. I will likely be coming once more to your weblog for much more soon. 568462

  2. 599156 473062Thanks for some other excellent post. Where else might just anyone get that type of info in such an ideal indicates of writing? Ive a presentation next week, and Im at the search for such information. 600004

  3. 861204 140234Hi this is somewhat of off topic but I was wondering if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or in case you need to manually code with HTML. Im starting a blog soon but have no coding information so I wanted to get guidance from someone with experience. Any aid would be greatly appreciated! 704506

  4. 860902 73919Considerably, the story is in reality the greatest on this noteworthy topic. I agree along with your conclusions and will eagerly watch forward to your next updates. Saying nice one will not just be sufficient, for the amazing clarity within your writing. I will immediately grab your rss feed to stay privy of any updates! 548191

  5. 393263 503184If you are needing to produce alteration in an individuals llife, during i would say the Are typically Bodyweight peeling off pounds training course are a wide path inside the direction of gaining any search. la weight loss 909731

  6. 937117 982713You may discover effective specific development of any L . a . Weight loss program and each and every you are incredibly important. To begin with level is an natural misplacing during the too considerably weight. lose belly fat 91405

  7. 85710 528641I discovered your weblog web site internet site on the search engines and check several of your early posts. Always sustain up the quite very good operate. I recently additional increase Rss to my MSN News Reader. Seeking for toward reading significantly far more on your part later on! 670032

  8. 130756 961293Hi this is somewhat of off subject but I was wondering if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML. Im starting a blog soon but have no coding understanding so I wanted to get guidance from someone with experience. Any support would be greatly appreciated! 118048

  9. 218726 750650Very good day! This post could not be written any better! Reading this post reminds me of my previous room mate! He always kept chatting about this. I will forward this write-up to him. Fairly certain he will have a excellent read. Thanks for sharing! 259188

  10. 959891 126159hi!,I like your writing so a good deal! share we communicate far a lot more about your write-up on AOL? I need to have a specialist on this area to solve my difficulty. Might be thats you! Seeking forward to see you. 695636

  11. 949847 749843Once I originally commented I clicked the -Notify me when new feedback are added- checkbox and now every time a remark is added I get four emails with the same comment. Is there any means you possibly can remove me from that service? Thanks! 336154

  12. 200627 966759I enjoyed reading this a lot I truly hope to read much more of your posts in the future, so Ive bookmarked your weblog. But I couldnt just bookmark it, oh no.. When I see quality websites like this one, I like to share it with others So Ive designed a backlink to your web site (from 687617

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *