Iowa legislators plug gun permit glitch

Before they went home last Saturday, lawmakers quickly amended the state’s gun permit law after the Iowa Supreme Court ruled sheriffs couldn’t ask questions about an applicant’s criminal record.

The court ruled April 14 that the law’s language was unclear but that gun permit seekers should have to answer only questions about their identity — name, address, birth date and driver’s license or identification card number. Other questions, such as whether the applicant is a felon, were not permitted, the court ruled.

Ross Loder, the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s bureau chief for weapon permits, said he immediately emailed Rep. Matt Windschitl, R-Missouri Valley, and Sen. Dan Dawson, R-Council Bluffs, after the ruling to let them know it was easy to fix that if they wanted to do so.

“Nobody has picked up on that issue before,” Loder said.

Read more: http://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/public-safety/iowa-legislators-plug-gun-permit-glitch-20170427