Iowa Voters Pass Public Measure 1, Designating the Right to Bear Arms ‘A Fundamental Individual Right’

Iowa voters overwhelmingly passed Public Measure 1 on Tuesday, enshrining the right to keep and bear arms in the state’s constitution and making the passage of new gun control restrictions extremely difficult.

The amendment passed by a margin of 66 percent to 34 percent.

KCRG reports the full language of the amendment:

Article I of the Constitution of the State of Iowa is amended by adding the following new section: Right to keep and bear arms. Sec. 1A. The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. The sovereign state of Iowa affirms and recognizes this right to be a fundamental individual right. Any and all restrictions of this right shall be subject to strict scrutiny.

The Des Moines Register notes that the amendment makes Iowa “the fourth state with ‘strict scrutiny’ language to protect gun rights in its state constitution.”

Iowa Firearms Coalition president Dave Funk commented on the passage of the amendment, saying, “This is a historical day for freedom, civil rights and the Hawkeye State. The right to self-defense and bear arms is here to stay in Iowa and we are grateful for the thousands of Iowans who took time out of their days to cast a vote in favor of liberty.”

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. AWR Hawkins holds a PhD in Military History with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.