Iowa lawmakers are debating a bill that would restore the rights of 18- to 20-year-old individuals that have long been denied. HSB 262 passed out of the House Judiciary Committee with bi-partisan support as all 14 Republicans voted to move it to the floor for debate. Three Democrats joined their Republican colleagues in voting for the study bill, which gave its passage a promising future in the Republican-controlled Iowa State Congress. The bill would allow Iowans aged 18-20 to legally purchase and carry weapons. The current legal age is 21.
Iowa State law has long denied our young adults aged 18, 19, and 20 from exercising their Second Amendment-protected right to purchase and/or carry a handgun. That is about to change. Representative Steven Holt, R-Denison introduced the bill that would give the fundamental right of gun ownership back to our young adults citing the unfair treatment of them as a class of individuals. Holt cited his own entrance into the Marines at 18 as an example of the misalignment of law. How can we as a nation say that an 18-year-old is an adult and can serve in our military or vote, but cannot enjoy the Second Amendment rights promised to all Americans?
I have a nineteen-year-old son and two of his best friends from High School joined the Marines and have been deemed mature enough to be trained in all manner of firearms and explosives, even more they have been trained to use them to defend our very freedoms, yet when they come home to visit Iowa they are disrespected and stripped of their right to bear arms. That discrepancy is about to come to an end.
In recent years, Iowa has made great strides in restoring the gun rights of its people taken away by previous lawmakers. In 2011, Iowa became a Shall Carry state, which wrestled control from individual county sheriffs who dictated who could or could not obtain a Permit to Carry firearms. This was a great step forward. Then in 2021, Iowa became a Constitutional Carry state meaning that individuals over 21 did not need a Permit to Carry to carry a firearm within the state. Even though the Permit to Carry is now optional, several reasons exist that make getting it a good idea. The Permit to Carry is still needed to be recognized as a permitted concealed carry citizen while traveling in many other states. Check out this reciprocity map to see what states honor Iowa’s Permit to Carry. The Permit to Carry also eases the purchase process and limits delays caused by background checks.
In all these gains in personal freedoms, the 18–20-year-old class was ignored and denied their rights. Keep your eyes on HSB 262 as it continues to the chamber floor for debate and passage. It’s time to right the wrongs our young adults have endured and pass this bill.
