Iowa state senator Rick Bertrand (R-Dist. 7) is pushing legislation to change the state’s current self-defense laws to included a “Stand Your Ground” provision.
Bertrand says his bill “clarifies [the] Second Amendment” Iowans already possess and protects law-abiding citizens who have to use a gun in self-defense.
According to ABC 9 News, “Stand Your Ground” legislation failed to pass in the last legislative session but supporters have since gathered “thousands of signatures” and are making clear that their votes in the 2016 elections will be used to get rid of lawmakers who oppose the self-defense bill.
Iowa Gun Owners director Aaron Dorr points out that Iowa law currently lets Iowan use lethal force when under threat, but he stresses that that law is not sufficient because it doesn’t shield the law-abiding citizen when he or she has to pull the trigger. He stressed that no one wants to be in a situation where they have to shoot but at the same time he said it is not right to keep law-abiding citizens in a place where they fear possible charges for protecting themselves or their families.
Senator Bertrand said, “Gun laws don’t keep guns away from the bad actors. They keep them from the good players, so at the end of the day, I trust Iowans and Americans.”
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