Iowa the Latest Front in Fight Over 2A Rights for Young Adults

Earlier today we reported on a bill in Oregon that would, among other things, raise the age to purchase most firearms from 18 to 21; part of an ongoing effort by gun control advocates to place the right to keep and bear arms beyond the limit of young adults. As my colleague Tom Knighton wrote about yesterday, such a restriction flies in the face of the national tradition of gun ownership, but it’s not like the anti-2A community has ever cared about that.

Legislators in Iowa, however, have given their final approval to a bill that would ensure adults under the age of 21 can both keep and bear arms by lowering the age to obtain a concealed carry license from 21 to 18; a measure that’s now on the way to Gov. Kim Reynolds. 

Currently, Iowa law allows individuals 21 and older to carry concealed firearms without a permit, and allows 18-year-olds to legally purchase and possess long guns (rifles, shotguns). An 18-year-old can also purchase rifle and shotgun ammunition but cannot purchase handgun ammunition from licensed dealers. 

18-year-olds currently can also carry long guns openly or concealed. 

If signed by Governor Reynolds, this bill would allow Iowans 18 years and older to apply for a permit to carry a handgun. However, they would not be able to obtain a permit to acquire handguns, nor could a nonprofessional permit to carry weapons be held by a person who is not 21 be valid for the transfer of a handgun from a federal licensed licensed firearms dealer. 

In other words, 18, 19, and 20-year-olds would not be able to purchase a handgun from a federally licensed dealer. Instead, they would need to acquire a handgun through private sales, gifts, or inheritance.

While every 2A advocate I know believes it’s a no-brainer that adults younger than 21 should have full access to their right to keep and bear arms, KWWL-TV in Iowa found one gun owner who wants to keep under-21s away from the most popular and common firearm for self-defense. 

Jim Wertzberger, a licensed gun dealer and owner of Wertz Guns & Supplies in eastern Iowa, disagrees with lowering the age for handgun possession. He stated, “I’ve got 28, 29 years as a hunter safety education instructor, and believe it or not, I’m not in favor of it. I think for handguns, kids should wait until they are 21 years old. I’m sure this isn’t going to get me many votes with the younger generation, but things have changed. Responsibility isn’t quite what it was when I was younger.”

I have no idea how old Wertzberger is, but I’m hardly a member of the “younger generation” and I think his argument is pure bullfeathers (this is a family friendly website, so I’ll stick with that term instead of what I’d prefer to say). 

First off, if someone’s 20 years old they’re not a “kid”. They can get married, get drafted, serve on a jury, sign contracts, and most importantly, exercise every other enumerated right protected by the Constitution. Saying that responsibility isn’t what it was when Wertzberger was younger is nothing more than a “get off my lawn” argument, and it should carry no weight with the governor. 

As a long time hunter ed instructor, I’m sure that Wertzberger is aware that 18-year-olds can already openly carry long guns in the state without a permit, so what’s the issue with allowing someone to go through the mandated training and obtain a carry license? Honestly, this bill doesn’t go far enough in my opinion, since adults over the age of 21 don’t need a permit to exercise their right to bear arms. This is still putting training wheels on the 2A rights of  young adults in the state, but it’s at least a step in the right direction, and one that Reynolds should be more than willing to take.