Local residents may recall that all of the counties in the area with the exception of Hancock County, adopted a measure to make themselves Second Amendment Sanctuary Counties. Hancock County opted to expand the measure into a Constitutional County in order to show support for the entire constitution and not single out one segment of it. In all, county supervisors in 33 counties designated themselves as “second amendment sanctuaries” where federal gun laws wouldn’t be enforced by local officials if the Biden Administration or congress were to enact tougher regulations.
Now there is a bill in the state senate would establish a $50,000 fine for any Iowa city and law enforcement agency where an officer enforces federal gun regulations that are stricter than the states. Senator Zach Nunn of Bondurant, a Republican congressional candidate in Iowa’s third district, is the sponsor of the so-called Second Amendment Preservation Act.
Nunn says the bill needs some changes before it’s considered by a Senate committee. Sydney Gangestad is a lobbyist for “Everytown for Gun Safety”, a national group that supports gun control measures. She says the bill may penalize local police and sheriff’s departments that work with federal authorities on gun-related investigations.
A lobbyist for the Iowa County Attorneys Association says the proposal could make it difficult for state and local agencies to enforce federal laws that forbid convicted domestic abusers from having guns. A similar bill has been passed in Missouri and nearly 60 Missouri police chiefs filed a lawsuit last week, seeking changes to clarify what is and isn’t permitted. One chief says Missouri’s law appears to prevent police from checking serial numbers to see if a gun is stolen.
