What does Iowans for Gun Safety stand for?

On a raw December day in Cedar Rapids, when Iowans for Gun Safety was holding a remembrance for the children killed in Newtown, I met Loise Brown, the mother of Aaron Richardson, a 15-year-old who had been shot by a 14-year-old in early September. Her grief was palpable. She had moved from Chicago to escape the dangers to young people there, but found that there is danger here also. This death sped up a community wide concern for violence, including concern for the misuse of guns. A similar level of concern has led to non-violence organizations in several Iowa cities - Des Moines, Waterloo, Davenport, and Dubuque, to name a few.

I became involved in the work to reduce gun violence after the shooting of several faculty members, a student and an administrative officer, the permanent disabling of a staff person, and the suicide of the shooter at the University of Iowa on November 1, 1991. I continue to work for the reduction in gun violence in the memory of those killed and injured in that setting as well as in the many other tragic situations around our country.

Just when Aaron was killed, the leadership for Iowans for Gun Safety, established in 2010, moved from Des Moines to Cedar Rapids while maintaining an interracial statewide presence, including now board members from Davenport, Dubuque, Mason City, Sioux City, Des Moines and Cedar Rapids. Iowans for Gun Safety is primarily concerned with public safety and health.

This year we are objecting to several gun bills in the Iowa Legislature, all of which would weaken current gun laws, under the guise of promoting absolute gun rights. They are bills designed for the convenience of the gun industry but not for the public's concern for safety and health.

HF 2042 would allow children under the age of 14 to handle guns. Children under 14 do not have the judgment to understand the consequences of the use of lethal weapons, and children handling guns will contribute to more accidents in their homes.

HF 2043 legalizes suppressors, or silencers. Use of suppressors would make it harder for law enforcement or citizens to detect the source of gunfire. Those shooting guns for sport can protect their hearing by wearing earplugs or mufflers.

HF 2044 allowing gun sales during states of emergency weakens the role of law enforcement to maintain order.

HF 2057 would allow a person to carry a weapon without a permit and to use the weapon while intoxicated for self-defense. We think people should have the permit with them when carrying a weapon and that in no case should the use of the gun be allowed when a person is intoxicated.

HF 2066 would allow a person to carry a gun on a snowmobile or ATV. Who wants people wildly shooting from a moving recreational vehicle in the neighborhood of homes in rural areas or along highways?

HF 2129 would make it very difficult for newspapers or individuals to gain access to information about gun permit holders and would give permit holders the right to deny access to individuals whose identity would become known to them.

All of these bills would expand the use of guns with many unintended consequences. Iowa has fairly decent laws and a very low gun homicide rate compared to other states. We would like to strengthen background checks and do what we can to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous persons.

' Jeremy Brigham is executive director of Iowans for Gun Safety. Comments: drjjbrigham@gmail.com