The top Democrat at the statehouse says a wide-ranging bill that’s eligible for debate in the senate needs “additional work” before senators would consider making changes in the state’s gun laws.
“There are people in law enforcement that have suggested they see some things that could be significant improvements in our current law,” says Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs.
Gronstal says establishing a uniform license for permits to carry a concealed weapon seems most likely, along with a move to create a statewide database of permit holders.
Gronstal says senators are, instead, working on rewriting their own bill.
Representative Matt Windschitl, a Republican from Missouri Valley, is a gun rights advocate who argues there’s no three-day waiting period in Iowa for the purchase of “long” guns, like rifles and shotguns, so there’s no reason to have it for handguns. In 2010 the legislature made significant changes that made it easier for Iowans to acquire a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Thousands of Iowans applied for and got a permit, which lasts for five years. That means tens of thousands of those permits will come up for renewal in 2016 and Windschitl says legislators should at least take steps to make the renewal process smoother.
“And make sure the sheriffs were having the training requirements in the legislation they felt were necessary for public safety and, at the same time, making sure we weren’t being too stringent or restrictive on Iowans exercising their Second Amendment rights,” Windschitl says.
Windschitl is a trained gunsmith who works at his family’s gun shop in Missouri Valley. He is also employed by the Union Pacific Railroad as a switchman.