Posted: 9/16/2004 5:36:42 PM EDT
[#6]
Quoted: Here is a recent article from the Quad City Times:
www.qctimes.com/internal.php?story_id=1035169&l=1&t=Iowa+%2F+Illinois&c=24,1035169
Iowa won’t ban assault weapons By Charlotte Eby
. DES MOINES — Assault weapons became legal this week in Iowa and other states after a 10-year federal ban on the weapons expired, but Iowa’s legislative leaders say they have no intention of enacting a state ban. . While a few states currently outlaw semiautomatic weapons, House Speaker Christopher Rants, R-Sioux City, believes Iowa’s current gun laws are sufficient. . “I don’t think you will see this issue being debated in the Legislature,” Rants said. “Nobody has demonstrated that we have a problem here in Iowa.” . Senate Majority Leader Stewart Iverson, R-Dows, agrees a ban isn’t needed and thinks it’s a constitutional issue of allowing citizens to bear arms. . But backers of a state ban argue that restrictions on assault weapons are supported by many members of the law-enforcement community and the public. . Leah Woodward of Iowans for the Prevention of Gun Violence said most Iowans as well as most Americans are in favor of a ban on assault weapons. . She said one in five police officers killed in the line of duty are killed by one of these weapons, even though they make up just 1 to 2 percent of the firearms in circulation in this country. . “That shows that these guns are being used disproportionately in crimes,” Woodward said. . The group is still hoping Congress will decide this year to renew the federal ban enacted in 1994, but Woodward said federal lawmakers have been “gutless” in standing up to the National Rifle Association and the gun lobby. . “Although numerous polls have shown the vast majority of Americans support this ban and want it extended, they just haven’t reacted to that,” said Woodward, who believes any action at the federal level is unlikely until after the Nov. 2 election. . If Congress doesn’t take action to renew the ban, lawmakers in Iowa should put a state ban in place, she said. . Despite general support in the law enforcement community for restrictions on assault weapons, not all feel the effort is effective. . Retired Davenport police officer and Rep. Jim Van Fossen, R-Davenport, is opposed to banning assault weapons and believes criminals will find a way to get the weapons even if they are outlawed. . He said more officers are killed with handguns or during scuffles over their own service guns than by assault weapons. He said even when the ban was in place, people were still able to legally buy similar weapons. . “They’re still just as deadly,” Van Fossen said. . Van Fossen, a National Rifle Association member, said he wants to protect the rights of law-abiding gun owners who want to use these types of guns for recreation and target practice. . But Rep. Deborah Berry, D-Waterloo, said she’s concerned now that the federal ban is no longer in place and would support outlawing those firearms at the state level. . She’s not convinced a problem with assault weapons exists in Iowa, but believes it’s wrong to lift the ban at a time when the country is trying to combat terrorism. . “I think in a time of war, it’s better to be safe,” Berry said. . Charlotte Eby can be contacted at . (515) 243-0138 or [email protected].
I have already emailed the Iowans for Prevention of Gun Violence to find out their source for: "She said one in five police officers killed in the line of duty are killed by one of these weapons, even though they make up just 1 to 2 percent of the firearms in circulation in this country."
I hope all the othe Iowa residents on the board do the same!!
FLSTC
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Bullshit
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