The Libertarian Party of Iowa fully endorses House Bill 147 (HF147), known as the second amendment preservation act, and applauds Representative Shipley and the other co-sponsors for showing the courage to not only stand for the American principles of state nullification and 2nd amendment rights, but to provide this bill with real teeth with which to protect the residents of Iowa from federal overreach.
However, should this bill pass, the people of Iowa are in a peculiar position where some of the existing federal laws infringing on the 2nd amendment are actually less restrictive than current Iowa laws.
For example, under Iowa Code Chapter 724, a machine gun is defined as an “offensive weapon” and prohibited from possession for most Iowans under threat of a class D felony. The National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934 created an elaborate structure of laws, restrictions, background checks, waiting periods, and penalties for possessing a machine gun – but apparently that is not good enough for the state of Iowa. An Iowan that successfully navigates these federal restrictions and spends upwards of $10,000 to legally obtain a machine gun would be a felon in Iowa.
Additionally, sub-section 724.29 creates a criminal penalty for anyone selling a device that “increases the rate of fire of a firearm”, a dubious gray area that could presumably include jeans with belt loops. This misguided legislation prevents law-abiding Iowans from purchasing and selling innovative products that do not even meet the ever-shrinking thresholds of the ATF.
The Libertarian Party of Iowa finds it offensive that when it comes to machine guns our state is in the same category as California, New York, and a handful of other states that do not share common values with the free people of Iowa. As such, we encourage Representative Shipley and his colleagues to consider our 2nd Amendment Clean Your Room Act, which would immediately allow the people of Iowa to enjoy the 2nd amendment freedoms still offered by the federal government while removing any embarrassing contradictions prior to the inevitable passage of the glorious 2nd amendment preservation act.
