Twins at City
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Iowa’s LGBT Movement
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City High School1900 morningside drive, iowa city, iowa 52240 issue five/volume sixty-nine - 3.11.11 www.thelittlehawk.com
GUNS
ON THE R I S E
In 2011 Iowa became a ‘shall issue’ state, and county sheriffs were stripped of their power to grant gun permits. Iowa City has responded by passing a new ordiance that prohibits guns from city property. by Carl Sessions The legislative battle over gun ownership has come to Iowa. After a state ownership law loosened last year, some county and city governments have responded to the large increase in ownership by passing more restrictive carrying laws. In mid-February, Iowa City took a stand on the issue after the city council voted 7-0 to ban the possession of firearms on city-owned property and buses. The resolution passed prohibits guns and other dangerous weapons from city buildings, grounds, parks and the farmers market. Exceptions will be made for peace officers, people with written permission from the police chief and those who have a professional permit to carry a firearm. Additionally, unloaded guns in fastened cases are allowed in vehicles in city parking lots. Council member Connie Champion said the decision “sends a message that guns do not belong in public buildings.” Others aggreed, Regina Bailey explained that the issue came down to the fact that the city wants to promote civil discourse in “a way that people don’t feel threatened.” The ban also has support from the city’s chief of police, Samuel Hargadine. “I think there are places where it’s somewhat inappropriate to take a firearm...a church, libraries, [and] public buildings.” The new ban won’t have an effect on City High. Under federal code it is illegal to possess firearms on school grounds. “The ruling doesn’t affect City High,” principal John Bacon said. “Guns have never been allowed on campus.” A swift legal response to Iowa City’s legislation is being planned by the NRA. The ban, they con-
the effects of new legislation 1 5 0
7 3 3
5 0 0
...people with criminal records now have the right to carry guns in Johnson County.
... is the number of licenses issued in Johnson County this year so far.
... is the number of gun licenses issued in Johnson County last year.
tend, isn’t under the city’s right to pass, because weapons permits are valid everywhere in a state unless prohibited by state or federal laws. However, assistant City attorney Eric Goers says that because the resolution is specific to city owned property, rather than everything within city limits, the expected lawsuit shouldn’t repeal the ban. Iowa City’s action follows a recent change in state law that makes obtaining a firearm easier. County sheriffs are now no longer able to turn down gun permit applicants. Since this revision there has been a large increase in permits requested, and 99% of these new requests have been granted. Two days after the Iowa City vote, Johnson County supervisors approved a resolution prohibiting firearms and dangerous weapons in county-owned land. There are opponents to tougher gun regulations. At the city council meeting citizens spoke out against the proposed ban on the grounds that it would violate their rights. Cedar Rapids resident David Hughes explained, “I have the unalienable right under the constitution of Iowa, and Iowa’s constitution is the supreme law of the state. Any law you pass that’s inconsistent is void. This is a 24 hour a day right, not just for when I’m home.” Others questioned the safety hazard that may arise from such a ban by pointing out that guns were necessary to protect from danger everywhere, not simply in their own homes. These arguments are similar to the
ones being made in the national arena in the aftermath of the Arizona shooting of a U.S. Congresswoman. The shooter in that incident had a highcapacity magazine that allowed him to fire more than 30 bullets in a few seconds without reloading. Some legislatures want to reinstate a federal ban on these high capacity weapons (the 1994 federal Assault Weapons Ban expired in 2004). And although it is unclear why private citizens need firearms capable of killing dozens of people for self-defense, staunch advocates of the Second Amendment wish to yield no ground. City High students are divided on the issue’s newest development. The results of the polls that the Little Hawk conducted showed that 73% of students feel that guns shouldn’t be allowed on city property. “People shouldn’t be able to take guns with them wherever they want” Evan Risk ‘11 said.”That doesn’t make any sense. You’re three times more likely to shoot a family member with a gun [if it’s in your house] than defend yourself from an intruder.” Twenty-seven percent thought that the ban was too intrusive. “The new ban is unnecessary,” Shecharya Flatte ‘12 said. “There’s no conclusive evidence on either side [that having guns either increases accidents or deters crime] to warrant the increase in government interference in people’s affairs. Additionally, this ban will just make gun nuts carry concealed weapons on city property, which is worse than having them out in the open.”