Constitutional Amendment to Block Gun Control

Democrats across the nation are scurrying to try to push stricter gun control laws in their states, especially since there is no chance of it happening nationally with a Republican controlled Congress and White House.

Washington state is run by liberal Democrats who have already trampled on the constitutional rights of their citizens. Now there is an attempt being made to ban a number of legal firearms.

According to the NRA:

“Inspired, perhaps, by Oscar Wilde (‘Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess’), Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson has announced two new sweeping gun control bills, with Sen. David Frockt (D-Seattle) and Rep. Strom Peterson (D-Edmonds) as the bill’s prime sponsors.”

“Despite being described as ‘assault weapon reform,’ the proposed legislation is nothing short of a ban of many common, legal firearms and ‘large-capacity magazines’ currently possessed by millions of law-abiding Americans for self-defense, hunting, and recreational shooting.’

“Both bills use the same extensive definitions of ‘assault weapon’ and ‘large-capacity magazine’ (LCM). ‘Assault weapon’ would include:

• a semiautomatic rifle using a detachable magazine and with one or more of the listed six features (e.g., folding or telescoping stock, thumbhole stock),

• a semiautomatic handgun or a semiautomatic, centerfire, or rimfire rifle with a fixed magazine that can hold more than ten rounds,

• a semiautomatic, centerfire, or rimfire rifle with overall length of less than 30 inches,

• a semiautomatic handgun using a detachable magazine and with one of the listed four features, and

• a shotgun with a revolving cylinder or certain semiautomatic shotguns.”

If the bills pass, penalties for violations could be as much as five-years in prison for a Class C felony and/or up to $10,000 in fines. Currently, the Washington State legislature is almost evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, however, Governor Jay Inslee is a Democrat as is Attorney General Bob Ferguson, both of whom support the gun ban bills. According to the NRA:

“Despite being described as ‘assault weapon reform,’ the proposed legislation is nothing short of a ban of many common, legal firearms and ‘large-capacity magazines’ currently possessed by millions of law-abiding Americans for self-defense, hunting, and recreational shooting.”

While some liberally Democratic controlled states are pushing unconstitutional gun bans and gun control bills, at least one state is taking the opposite measure to protect the Second Amendment rights of its citizens.

Twenty-nine state senators in Iowa are co-sponsoring a proposed amendment to the state constitution which would protect Second Amendment rights. Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 2 reads in part:

“A Joint Resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa relating to an individual’s right to acquire, keep, possess, transport, carry, transfer, and use arms.

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

Section1.The following amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa is proposed:

Article I of the Constitution of the State of Iowa is amended by adding the following new section:

Right to acquire, keep, possess, transport, carry, transfer, and use arms. SEC. 1A. The right of an individual to acquire, keep, possess, transport, carry, transfer, and use arms to defend life and liberty and for all other legitimate purposes is fundamental and shall not be infringed upon or denied. Mandatory licensing, registration, or special taxation as a condition of the exercise of this right is prohibited, and any other restriction shall be subject to strict scrutiny.

Sec. 2. REFERRAL AND PUBLICATION. The foregoing proposed amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa is referred to the general assembly to be chosen at the next general election for members of the general assembly and the secretary of state is directed to cause the same to be published for three consecutive months previous to the date of that election as provided by law.”

The Iowa Firearms Coalition is urging every gun owner in the state to get behind the amendment and contact their Senators and Representatives to tell them to support the amendment proposal. In a statement, the IFC said:

“Other gun owners will try to convince you there’s more important gun legislation to work on but the fact is without a [right to keep and bear arms] provision in the state constitution every single pro-gun law in Iowa is in danger of being wiped out by judicial activism or a runaway legislature. Stand Your Ground, Constitutional Carry, your Permit to Carry – all pro-gun owner legislation requires that citizens have a guaranteed right to keep and bear arms. Right now you, the People of Iowa, are living without this critical protection.”

The American people need to insist that their national Senators and Representatives propose a similar amendment to the United States Constitution while they still have control of Congress and the White House. Hopefully, Trump will nominate a pro-Second Amendment judge to the Supreme Court who would rule favorably in any challenge that reaches the high court.