1000′s of Iowa Gun Owners Apply for Carry Permits Under New Laws Tuesday, January 4th, 2011 at 6:14 PM Iowa --(Ammoland.com)- January 1st marked the first day Iowa officially became a shall carry state. Under the new law, permits to carry weapons only can be denied if the applicant is a felon or if they have been through some sort of mental health commitment process.
Previously, Iowa sheriffs had the discretion to deny permits if a background check turned up something of concern, such as a history of substance abuse. Applicants also had to meet shooting qualifications.
Now that those restrictions are gone, interest in obtaining permits to carry weapons, which no longer mandate the gun be concealed, has reached an all time high in just one day.
Multiple reports have long lines at every sheriff office in Iowa.
“The only reason people would be shocked is due to the simple fact that our rights have been stomped on for so long, we’ve forgotten what it means to exercise them. But again, that is no different than the battles that took place in every other state that went down this path before Iowa. Furthermore, most law-abiding citizens prefer to carry their weapons concealed, so how would people even be alarmed by seeing a “loaded pistol” when that pistol is properly concealed? Said Des Moines Gun Rights Examiner, Sean McClanahan
http://www.ammoland.com/2011/01/04/1000s-of-iowa-gun-owners-apply-for-carry-permits/ Gun Rights Advocates Protest Businesses Tuesday, January 4, 2011 10:47 PM EST Looser laws for gun owners in Iowa took effect in the new year. Some businesses already plan to keep out the gun-toters, but it's causing a second amendment uproar.
Gun owners are stepping up to businesses. If they won't let them carry a firearm in, they'll take their money elsewhere.
Signs reading 'No firearms allowed' are starting to greet customers at the door. The Iowa Firearms Coalition president Sean McClanahan said those signs don't sit well with gun rights advocates.
"Putting signs up doesn't accomplish anything in the way of safety. In fact, it does the opposite because there are no good guys inside carrying," he explained.
Sean McClanahan said to get their message across to businesses with firearms restrictions, they are handing out cards that read 'Armed citizens save lives' and 'Criminals won't obey your no guns sign, I will.'
http://www.woi-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=13784597 Meanwhile in other news from Colorado: NOREEN: Concealed-carry permits haven't caused problems January 05, 2011 7:05 AMSince 2007, the number of concealed-carry permits in El Paso County has more than doubled, but there has not been a corresponding jump in gun violence by the permit holders.
You can believe whatever you want, but at some point it comes down to results, and nothing suggests that life here has become more dangerous because of concealed-carry permits.
There are 16,772 citizens in El Paso County who have permits to carry a concealed handgun.
In 2010, just six people had their permits revoked, and Sheriff Terry Maketa said not a single permit holder was arrested in any violent case.
***snip***
When El Paso County’s number of concealed-carry permits jumped several years ago, some people (including a certain columnist) worried that increasing the number of guns in cars would lead to more road rage and other violence.
It hasn’t happened.
Maketa said the number of permits — including many more for women — “has been climbing and I tie that to the political climate at the national level.”
A couple of years ago permit holders were surveyed.
“It was surprising how little of the time they have it, and seldom is it on their person,” Maketa said. “It’s not a gun-crazed group.”
The concealed-carry system seems to be working.
http://www.gazette.com/news/permits-110591-concealed-carry.html