State lawmakers have advanced proposed legislation that would allow gun owners to bring firearms to work or on school property.
Currently, someone with a conceal-and-carry permit cannot bring their firearm to work, if company policy does not allow guns on the premises.
"We have hundreds of thousands of Iowans, law-abiding good Iowans with conceal carry permits who wake up and get children ready for school cannot exercise their second amendment right," Sen. Jason Schultz tells WHO-TV 13.
Employees would be able to bring their guns to work, as long as it is locked in their vehicle. “This legislation infringes upon an employer’s private property rights by saying they can’t have a policy prohibiting weapons in their parking lots or on their property," Brad Hartkopf, a lobbyist for the Iowa Association of Business and Industry, told WHO-TV 13.
Crossroads Shooting Sports Managing Partner Tom Hudson said he thinks responsible gun owners should be able to carry in these situations.
"Protection from law enforcement may be minutes away when you have moments to respond and so not being able to protect yourself and being in a hostile environment or an environment that can turn hostile very quickly that's an individual right that that person should have," Hudson says.
A second, related bill also advanced Thursday. It would allow parents and guardians dropping off children at school to have a firearm on them while in the school drop-off zone or parking lot.
The two bills only apply to Iowans with a valid permit to carry a weapon. Both bills were approved by its Senate subcommittees, each containing two Republicans and one Democrat. The next step is for the bill to be voted on in its full committee.