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Iowa Firearms Coalition

IOWA – -(Ammoland.com)- Progress at the Capitol!This has been a busy, busy couple of weeks for IFC, your Iowa NRA Affiliate Club!

We have 3 issues to update you on, a new state added recognition of Iowa’s Permit to Carry, steady progress on the Traditional Ammunition Ban front and most importantly Stand Your Ground legislation is moving forward!

Iowa Permit Now Recognized in Georgia
IFC has been working with NRA, and also with Gary Slider at www.hangunlaw.us, to help get Georgia to recognize Iowa’s Permit to Carry.

Thanks to all parties involved for their efforts. Georgia law was written such that it would recognize states that honored Georgia’s permit, but bureaucracy was getting in the way of making it official. That hurdle has now been overcome!

Your Iowa Permit to Carry is now valid in 27 other states.

Traditional Ammunition Progress
Tuesday, Senate Joint Resolution 2001 passed in the state Senate Natural Resources and Environment Committee by a 9 to 3 vote. State Senators Dennis Black (D-21), Dick Dearden (D-34), Joni Ernst (R-48), James Hahn (R-40), Shawn Hamerlinck (R-42), Tom Hancock (D-16), Tim Kapucian (R-20), Brian Schoejahn (D-12) and Kent Sorenson (R-37) voted to pass SJR 2001, while Senators Robert Hogg (D-19), Amanda Ragan (D-7) and Joe Seng (D-43) voted against it.

Today, House Joint Resolution 2001 passed in the state House Natural Resources and Environment Committee by a 17 to 4 vote. State Representatives Henry Rayhons (R-11), Jeff Smith (R-6), Richard Arnold (R-72), Clel Baudler (R-58), Joel Fry (R-95), Mary Gaskill (D-93), Bob Hager (R-16), Chris Hall (D-2), Mark Lofgren (R-80), Steven Lukan (R-32), Jim Lykam (D-85), Helen Miller (D-49), Dan Rasmussen (R-23), Annette Sweeney (R-44), James Van Englehoven (R-71), Guy Vander Linden (R-75), John Wittneben (D-7), while Curtis Hanson (D-90), Dan Kelley (D-41), Sharon Steckman (D-13) and Phyllis Thede (D-81) voted against it.

We will keep you updated and let you know when these bills get scheduled for a floor vote.

Stand Your Ground Progress
Tuesday the House Public Safety Subcommittee passed HF 573 by a 2 to 1 vote. This important piece of “stand your ground” self-defense legislation will now be heard by the full House Public Safety Committee as early as Tuesday of next week.

Representative Matt Windschitl (R-56) has been working on this legislation since 2007. Previously the legislation had struggled largely due to Democratic control in the House. Since the power balance in the House has shifted Rep. Windschitl has worked hard with NRA and IFC on crafting a solid self-defense bill for Iowans.

Please take time to e-mail or call Representative Windschitl and thank him for working with IFC and the NRA. Ensure him that you will be helping get behind his effort to pass this important piece of legislation this year! He has been a strong Second Amendment advocate for the Iowans at the Capitol.IFC will be putting together an action alert on this issue soon, so keep an eye out. It’s your voice from the grassroots that really helps us get things done in Iowa!

About Iowa Firearms Coalition:
The mission of the Iowa Firearms Coalition is to be THE firearms rights organization in Iowa, representing Second Amendment concerns for all firearms owners in the state. We will staunchly defend the rights of hunters and sportsmen as well as the rights of all Iowans to defend themselves and their loved ones. We seek to partner with other like-minded organizations to increase our effectiveness in accomplishing these goals. Visit: www.iowafc.org

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Virginia Shooting Sports Association

Virginia - -(Ammoland.com)- Contact Your Senators Now: In a long meeting of the Senate Courts of Justice Committee today, two important pro-rights bills were reported out of the committee and are now headed to the Senate floor. Both bills are top priorities of VSSA’s legislative agenda.

First is SB 323, Senator Bill Carrico’s bill to repeal Virginia’s Handgun Rationing law. The vote was 8-7 on the GOP-controlled committee, with Sen. John S. Edwards, D-Roanoke, voting for passage with seven Republicans.

Please contact the following Senators and thank them for their vote in favor or your rights:

Edwards, Obenshain, McDougle, Stuart, Vogel, Stanley, Reeves, Garrett

Also reported out of committee was SB 4, Senator Stuart’s Castle Doctrine bill. It was reported on a party line vote of 8-7, with Senator Norment being absent and the GOP members casting a yea vote for him. It remains to be seen if Senator Norment actually supports the bill or whether he will re-refer it back to committee when it gets to the floor.

Please contact the following Senators and thank them for their vote in favor of your right to self-defense:

Norment (Chairman), Obenshain, McDougle, Stuart, Vogel, Stanley, Reeves, Garrett

Also passed by the committee was SB 67, Senator Stanley’s bill to remove the option for localities to require fingerprints for concealed handgun permit applications. A substitute bill passed the committee.

Voting with gun owners were:

Edwards, Obenshain, McDougle, Stuart, Vogel, Stanley, Reeves, Garrett

Please contact your senator now and urge them to support SB 323 and SB 4, and SB 67. All three bills will be on the floor for a final vote on Friday or Monday. VSSA will keep you posted before the final vote is scheduled.

Additionally, a number of bills are scheduled to be heard Thursday evening in House Militia, Police and Public Safety Subcommittee #1. Please contact members of this Subcommittee and respectfully request that they oppose HB 364 and HB 458 and support HB 20, HB 22, HB 26, HB 375 and HB 940.

Bills to be considered in the subcommittee Thursday:

Anti-Gun Legislation:

• House Bill 364 would prohibit the private sales of firearms at gun shows by requiring that all sales conducted at a gun show go through a federally licensed dealer. Make no mistake, if passed, supporters of this legislation will soon be calling for a ban on all private sales in Virginia.
• House Bill 458 seeks to weaken Virginia’s preemption law by allowing localities to adopt an ordinance that prohibits firearms, ammunition, or components, or a combination thereof, in libraries owned or operated by the locality.

Pro-Gun Legislation:

• House Bill 20 would update Virginia’s Emergency Powers doctrine by adding lawful carrying and transportation to the list of actions that cannot be prohibited during a declaration of emergency.
• House Bill 22 would establish that no locality or entity may participate in compensated consfiscation schemes (gun “buyback”) where individuals are given anything of value or money in exchange for surrendering a firearm to the locality unless the governing body first passes an ordinance authorizing the gun “buyback.” This legislation also requires that any locality holding gun “buybacks” sell the firearms to a federally licensed dealer “or be disposed of in any appropriate manner” if they could not be sold.
• House Bill 26 would allow a court to waive a $25 dollar fine upon presentation of the permit to the court, if a person fails to display his concealed handgun permit when requested by a law enforcement officer.
• House Bill 375 would prohibit localities from adopting any workplace rule that prevents an employee from storing a lawfully possessed firearm and ammunition in his locked motor vehicle. The firearm must be in a secured container or compartment in the vehicle.
• House Bill 940 repeals Virginia’s handgun rationing which prohibits the purchase of more than one handgun in a thirty-day period.

About:
The Virginia Shooting Sports Association (VSSA) was originally founded as the Virginia State Rifle and Revolver Association in 1938. VSSA is the official state association of the National Rifle Association. VSSA is also closely affiliated with the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP), Virginia Outdoor Sports Information Network (VOSIN), National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), Virginia Gun Collectors Association, and the Virginia Wildlife Federation (VWF). Visit: www.myvssa.org

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