(Des Moines) This week the Iowa Senate passed the Freedom Amendment that gives people the right to keep and bear arms vetted in the Iowa Constitution. The House also passed a companion bill out of committee by a 13-6 vote.
District 20 Representative Ray Sorensen, of Greenfield, says Iowa is one of six states that doesn’t have it in their constitution. “This has been a sticking point for a while, ‘said Sorensen. “The people who appreciate the right to bear arms are concerned about vetting this in the constitution, and this is something we’ve wanted to deliver for a while now.”
Representative Sorensen says the Freedom amendment passed in 2019 and needs to pass during this General Assembly for it to be on the ballot in 2022. “I like these hurdles,” said Sorensen. “It prevents changing parties to edit the constitution on a whim. It has to go through the process and be vetted.”
If adopted by voters, the state constitution would be amended by adding the verbiage: “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.”
