“…I will support the amendment, and I will ask the members of my committee to support the amendment.”
So went another day in the House Public Safety Committee as Chairman Clel Baudler tried to force the members of his caucus to virtually destroy yet another gun bill.
I don’t know about you, but I am sick and tired of the House Leadership team allowing this anti-gunner to run roughshod over our gun rights!
Yesterday was the most blatant rejection of your gun rights that I’ve seen yet this year from Chairman Baudler. There were two bills voted on yesterday, most notably, HF 2114, the Pre-Emption reform bill that would put an end to Iowa’s current county by county gun ban.
Tens of thousands of gun owners all over the state are anxious to know that they don’t have to stop at every county line in Iowa to determine where they can and can’t carry.
After all, Iowa code 724.28 already prohibits this, but the Iowa Attorney General’s office has created a loophole. HF 2114 would clarify the current code and put and end to all of this…..
…but not anymore, now that Chairman Baudler just gutted the entire bill’s impact.
You see, yesterday in committee, an anti-gun legislator put forth an amendment which said that nothing in HF2114 would preclude “governing boards” from prohibiting your right to carry firearms, ammunition, or accessories at any city hall, hospital, or courthouse. And Baudler supported this.
That’s the whole point of the bill…to stop towns and counties from doing that. This amendment would allow them to do the very thing gun owners need to have stopped!
Seeing this, Rep. Alons immediately protested and said that he could never support an amendment that was hostile to your gun rights, no matter what political party was behind it. “I’m a no vote in committee and I’m a no vote on the Floor because this is not pro-gun.” We applaud Rep. Alons, again, for his fierce commitment to our gun rights.
When the amendment was voted on Chairman Baudler was able to peel off three of his Republican peers in passing the amendment! As amended, nothing would stop every town in Iowa from enacting their own ordinances.
More, the amendment specifies ammunition. If you have so much as a shotgun shell in your pickup and someone sees it in your car while parking in a hospital parking lot you are likely facing criminal charges.
Further, nothing in this bill requires intent. Even if you inadvertently have a gun or ammo in your car (like the box of .22 shells that most farmers in Iowa carry in their glove box) you are in violation and could be charged!
This is outrageous coming from the party that claims to be pro-2nd Amendment!
(Please note, Iowa Gun Owners is a non-profit, non-partisan entity. We work with any pro-gun legislator we can find. We seek to expose anti-gunners regardless of their party affiliation. We are expressing anger at the Republicans currently, because they are in control of the House and because a Republican Chairman is passing objectively bad gun bills.)
There are some bills in the General Assembly that are more controversial than others when it comes to the 2nd Amendment. This bill isn’t one of them. For the House Leadership team to allow Chairman Baudler to continually sell out gun owners is inexcusable.
Please take action immediately, by doing the following:
1. Take a moment to call or email the House leadership team today. The Speaker of the House and the House Majority Leader are in control of the Committee Chairman. As the leaders they are responsible for what their committee chairmen do. Rep. Baudler can only be as pro-gun as he’s allowed to be.
Please call their office today and demand that they remove Rep. Baudler from his leadership position as he’s aggressively opposed to your gun rights and he’s taking such radical stances that even his fellow Republicans are refusing to support him.
Speaker Paulsen’s office number is 515-281-3521. Majority Leader Upmeyer’s office number is 515-281-4618.
2. Please take a moment to thank Rep. Alons for his strong support of your gun rights. His email address is: [email protected].
3. Please make sure that the other Republican legislators, who profess to be pro-gun, understand that their betrayal yesterday will not go unnoticed. They are:
Rep. Baudler: [email protected]
Rep. Tjepkes: [email protected]
Rep. Steve Olson: [email protected]
Rep. Gary Worthan: [email protected]
3. Finally, please consider making a special contribution to our program today. Alerting gun owners by mass email, paying for targeted mail, and meeting with pro-gun candidates all costs money. Your contribution of $50, $25 or even just $10 will enable these critical programs to continue.
Yours for the 2nd Amendment,
Aaron Dorr
Executive Director
P.S. Yesterday, Republican Public Safety Chairman Clel Baudler joined forces with some of the most anti-gun forces in his committee in supporting an amendment that gutted HF 2114, the pre-emption reform bill that Iowans need so badly.
Please take a moment to contact the House Leadership team using the information above and insist that they remove Chairman Baudler from his position on the committee. They are responsible for his anti-gun actions.
Also, we are working virtually night and day trying to advance numerous gun bills and expose the actions of those who oppose them. Please consider chipping in what you can, today, to enable us to keep these programs going. Your contribution of $35, $10, or even $5 will be put to immediate use in the fight to defend the 2nd Amendment right here in Iowa.