Des Moines, IA- The Iowa Democratic Nominee for Governor says that Iowa should have a law raising the minimum age for purchasing an AR-15 rifle from 18 to 21.
Radio Iowa reports that Deidre DeJear also said it’s time to again require permits for purchasing guns and carrying a concealed weapon in Iowa.
“I’m of the mindset that we’ve got to be preventative versus reactive and something that’s common sense is ensuring that an individual has to have a permit in order to purchase a gun or a rifle. I have a permit. It didn’t take a lot for me to get it,” DeJear says. “Something just so simple and common sense is just have a license on you if you’re going to carry your weapon.”
In 2021, the Iowa Legislature removed regulations requiring permits for the purchase and carrying of firearms. DeJear said that was a misstep for Governor Reynolds to sign that into law.
“Let’s be realistic about what Iowans want versus what special interests want,” DeJear says. “I want to be a people centered administration. That’s possible. You know, we’ve taken steps back unfortunately when we’ve utilized this tool called democracy and we’ve let special interests infiltrate it. Let’s get back to basics.”
DeJear made the comments during a taping of “Iowa Press,” which aired don Iowa PBS.
