Iowa lawmakers are fast-tracking radical legislation that would repeal Iowa's law requiring background checks on unlicensed handgun sales, and repeal Iowa's concealed handgun permit requirement.
SF 535 would make it easy for felons, domestic abusers, and people prohibited based on mental illness to buy handguns. It would also allow people to carry hidden, loaded handguns in public without a permit or safety training.
This proposal is incredibly dangerous and a direct assault on public safety. Urge your Iowa state senator to strongly oppose this legislation >>
Dear Senator,
I'm writing as a constituent urging you to oppose SF 535, which would repeal Iowa's law requiring background checks on unlicensed handgun sales, and repeal Iowa's concealed handgun permit requirement.
If enacted, this bill would make it easy for people with dangerous histories—including felons, domestic abusers, and people prohibited based on mental illnesses—to buy handguns in Iowa. The bill would also allow people, including people with dangerous histories, to carry hidden, loaded handguns in public without a permit or safety training.
Proponents of this proposal have said that the bill would not weaken Iowa’s background check system—this could not be further from the truth. Current Iowa law requires a person to have a permit and pass a criminal background check in order to buy a handgun, whether from a dealer or from an unlicensed seller. This bill would strip the permit requirement, and therefore background check, for unlicensed handgun sales, opening up a huge loophole in Iowa’s background check law and putting Iowa communities at risk.
Research indicates that prohibited purchasers seek out ways to skip a background check: An investigation into Armslist.com—the largest online gun marketplace—found that nearly 1 in 9 prospective buyers who respond to ads from unlicensed sellers would not pass a background check, a rate seven times higher than the denial rate in other contexts where background checks are required.
The vast majority of Iowans support both background checks and requiring a permit to carry a concealed handgun in public. We know these are sound policies that keep us safe. Please oppose SF 535.