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Victory for Public Safety: Dangerous Gun Legislation Defeated in Iowa

5.7.2018

DES MOINES, Iowa – The Iowa chapter of Moms Demand Action, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today released the following statement after the close of the state’s legislative session marked the defeat of a proposal to strip core Iowa gun laws, including the law requiring background checks on all handgun sales.

Federal law requires licensed gun dealers to conduct criminal background checks on gun sales, but there is no federal background check requirement for unlicensed sales, including sales initiated online and sales made at gun shows. Iowa has addressed this loophole by requiring background checks on all handgun sales, but Senate File 2106 would have repealed this requirement — allowing unlicensed gun sales to take place in Iowa without background checks, including sales at gun shows and sales initiated online.

Current Iowa law also requires a permit in order to carry a concealed handgun in public. Senate File 2106 would have repealed this requirement, too, letting people carry hidden, loaded handguns in Iowa communities without a permit.

STATEMENT FROM KATIE ALBRECHT, VOLUNTEER CHAPTER LEADER WITH THE IOWA CHAPTER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA

“By helping to keep guns out of the hands of people with violent histories, Iowa’s background check law and permit-to-carry requirement protect each of us. Our elected officials showed yet again that they, too, support these common-sense public safety laws.”