Free Republic

DES MOINES --- There is a saying in Iowa Republican political circles: GOP incumbents should spend more time looking over their right shoulder than their left as primaries approach. That bit of political wisdom holds particularly true for the June 5 primary in which a dozen incumbents across the state face intra-party challenges. These are not instances such as House District 50 - where incumbents Annette Sweeney and Pat Grassley were thrown together by redistricting. These are races where someone from the party is challenging a sitting incumbent. And it's only happening on the Republican side this year. "A lot...

Charlotte, NC --(Ammoland.com)- On Friday, May 10, Governor Terry Branstad announced that he will nullify the traditional ammunition ban in Iowa. In July 2011, the Iowa Natural Resources Commission imposed the ban –after the topic was debated and resoundingly rejected by the legislature– following the enactment of the first dove-hunting season since 1918. The NRC slipped in the ban on the use of all traditional ammunition while setting bag limits and other regulations with regard to the reenacted Iowa dove-hunting season. “The National Rifle Association would like to thank Governor Branstad for rescinding this ill-conceived scheme by the Iowa Natural...

DES MOINES (AP) — Authorities say the co-owner of a store and his friend have captured an armed man who robbed the Des Moines store. The man wearing a face mask and sunglasses walked in to Fortune Gifts. He displayed and cocked a gun, then left after store co-owner Zamir Azam gave him some cash.

Cerro Gordo County, IA - Local law enforcement is making an effort to keep ammunition out of the wrong hands. On Saturday, Cerro Gordo County hosted an ammunition collection day. Folks are encouraged to drop off their unused, unwanted or expired ammunition. Officers said not only will this help keep the ammunition out of the wrong hands, but it will also help keep your home safe. "It's very explosive, so if there is fire in your house it can go off and then we're putting our friends at the fire department and our neighbors at risk," said Officer David Studder...

Des Moines County prosecutors will not seek charges in connection with last month's South Central Avenue shooting death of a Macomb, Ill., man, ruling the incident as justifiable homicide or self defense. Unless new information comes in the case, police said prosecutors are standing firm in the decision not to charge anyone. Burlington Police Department detectives, along with their counterparts from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, has completed their investigation into the March 16 shooting. Their report was sent to the Des Moines County Attorney's Office. The shooter, Jacqueline Renee Williams, 28, also of Macomb, who also was shot...

The DesMoines Register reports that some sheriffs are astonished that when they stop arbitrarily curtailing folks' rights, people start exercising them: "The number of Iowans seeking permits to carry handguns and other weapons has increased 170 percent during the first 11 months of 2011 — a trend one Iowa sheriff calls 'unbelievable.'" January 1, 2011 is when Iowa's shall-issue law took effect, and immediately people started getting permits. Polk county, which includes the Des Moines metro, issued over three-and-a-half times as many permits in 2011 as in 2010 (9,720 versus 2,597). And shockingly enough, contrary to all the predictions, there...

According to The Waukee Patch, Dallas County Sheriff Chad Leonard is going to be challenged for his seat in the June 5 Republican primary by Jim Romar. Sheriff Leonard is a friend of the gun rights community, having been a “shall issue” Sheriff before it was mandated statewide in 2011. Dallas County residents have spoken highly of Sheriff Leonard in regards to how he deals with holders and applicants of the Iowa Permit to Carry Weapons, and it is hard to find anyone who is dissatisfied with his overall stance on gun rights issues. Jim Romar is a retired veteran...

The second half of Iowa's 84th General Assembly is beginning to wind down, and it appears that Iowa firearms owners are going to be left in the cold with nearly everything they had hoped to accomplish this year. A long list of bills was presented to the House of Representatives, but nearly all of them are going to die due to inaction. Many of the bills died before they even saw the light of day. Once introduced in the Iowa House of Representatives, firearms related bills go to the House Public Safety Committee. The Chairman of that Committee is Rep....

"It would eliminate all gun laws," McCarthy said. "This issue is very, very extreme. This proposal is not a mainstream proposal." ....... It's a mistrust of the courts, however, that fueled much of the support for the constitutional amendment. "For far too long we've seen judicial abuse of our Second Amendment rights," said Rep. Matt Windschitl, R-Missouri Valley.

DES MOINES - Iowa's guns rights would be among the strongest in the nation, under a proposed state constitutional amendment that cleared the Iowa House this week. Democrats say the measure would eventually allow people to bring guns into Iowa's schools, the Capitol and other public buildings. That concerns county officials. "I think one of the concerns for counties is in our courthouses where there are emotional situations, what that could lead to, particularly domestic disputes," said Sioux County Supervisor Mark Sybesma. "In our treasurer's office, a lot of times people come in very disgruntled - emotions and that type...

Wednesday was an eventful day in Des Moines for pro-gun advocates that began with the House Democratic caucus’ mass exodus from the state capitol in protest of the scheduled consideration of two NRA priority pro-gun bills. Despite the fact the Republican majority had a quorum and could have passed legislation without the Democratic caucus, action was delayed until the caucus returned late in the afternoon. Once normal order was restored, gun owners in the Hawkeye State saw the Right to Keep and Bear Arms state constitutional amendment amended to the original NRA-supported language and passed. Gun owners then saw the...

Washington DC - -(Ammoland.com)- When news broke that Democrat legislators in Iowa had stormed out in protest over pro-Second Amendment bills which Republicans in the Republican-controlled legislature had brought up for a vote, I wasn’t too surprised. After all, since when do Democrats approve of guns or support gun rights? But as I read Iowa House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (D-Des Moines) try to justify avoiding a vote for two bills that would have given Iowans a state-constitutional right to keep and bear arms and broadened their grounds for using deadly force to protect life and property, the whole event...

IOWA – -(Ammoland.com)- First off, I want to thank every one of you that has taken the time to utilize our Action Center (also on Facebook) to correspond with Representatives on our bills. Your hard work and willingness to be involved has helped Iowa Firearms Coalition, and the NRA, to move every one of our top priority bills through committee! At the start of the legislative session IFC announced our four top priorities: * Iowa Constitutional Amendment for a Right to Keep and Bear Arms – HJR2009 * Iowa Family Defense Act, Stand Your Ground – HF2215 * Iowa Firearm...

Funnel week has come and gone in Des Moines, and while some good bills made it out of committee, several other good bills were allowed to die a death of apathy. Here's a rundown of what's what under the gold dome. * HF 208 - This bill would modify the disposal requirements of firearms and ammunition seized by or forfeited to Iowa law enforcement agencies, including DPS. It essentially gives the agency that seized the firearms or ammunition greater control over how it is disposed of, including sale to the public. (Assigned to a subcommittee of Baudler, Kressig, and Tjepkes...

We are still waiting on the Senate to decide the fate of a National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Bill, one that would provide a national standard in accordance with which nonresidents of a State may carry concealed firearms in the State. But in meantime, states are continuing to reach out to each other to forge state-to-state concealed carry reciprocity agreements (there’s no reason to wait on the Fed). The latest state to expand its reciprocal recognition program is Georgia, which added Iowa and Wisconsin to its list last month bringing its total to 26. Georgia currently reciprocates in recognizing firearms licenses with...

The Des Moines Register ran a story today that highlights the need for a strong “Stand Your Ground” law. Not just in Iowa, where it is being hotly debated right now, but anywhere in the country that the freedoms and liberties of citizens who are going about their day-to-day activities are expected to be more important than those of citizens who have little regard for the life and health of others in the community. In their story, the Register details the circumstances around a man, Jay Rodney Lewis, who was put in jail and stayed there for 112 days until...

Representative Clel Baudler (R-58) and Iowa Gun Owners Executive Director Aaron Dorr were interviewed on WHO Radio this morning, hosted by Jan Mickelson. This was an opportunity for Rep. Baudler to explain his position on the current state of firearms legislation in Iowa. It was an ugly conversation, if you are someone who believes in the ability to exercise your rights freely without government intervention. Rep. Baudler unequivocally stated the following: * The ability for an Iowan to carry a firearm must be tempered with public safety. He does not want Iowa to be a place where “any schizophrenic can...

She was dead. The woman lay on her back in the middle of the street. Her eyes were open and staring up at the sky, clouds reflecting on the haze forming over them. Pools of thick, dark syrup formed under her back, her life blood oozing out across the black asphalt around her body. I was there when she died. It's a hell of a thing, death. Anyone who has been around it knows about that moment when someone goes from being a person to a thing. It's a curiosity, almost magical in a way. You can't help but be...

HJR 2005 and HF 2114 were debated in the House Public Safety Committee (PSC) today. Unfortunately for gun owners in Iowa, the true intent of both of these pieces of legislation was evidently lost on the Chairman of the committee. Representative Clel Baudler sided with the Democrat members of the committee, and both bills were watered down to the point of being useless. HJR 2005 was intended to add the right to keep and bear arms to the Iowa Constitution. Taking into account all of the challenges that the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has faced over the years,...

DES MOINES — Matt Windschitl turned a half-swivel in his chair and stuck his right hand out, palm up, stopping National Rifle Association lobbyist Chris Rager from walking out the door. Windschitl, 28, a member of the House Republican leadership team from Missouri Valley, had just watched his “stand your ground” bill sail through a legislative committee. “This,” Windschitl said as Rager shook his hand, “is just the start.” The bill would allow Iowans to respond with deadly force if they feel threatened and would protect them from liability in some cases. This session Windschitl also has proposed legislation that...

IOWA – -(Ammoland.com)- Contact Public Safety Committee members today and urge them to vote YES tomorrow on HF 2114, the Iowa Firearm Preemption Act. Ask these members to vote YES and support current state law in Iowa code 724.7 and 724.28 that explicitly state that permit holders should be allowed to carry anywhere except where state and federal law allow. Punishing law-abiding citizens that are fully screened and have had extensive background checks by disallowing them access to public buildings is dishonoring to Iowans. It also puts honest, law-abiding citizens at risk of inadvertently violating these unnecessary, illegal laws that...

Iowa lawmakers are considering several bills aimed at enhancing gun rights, but critics say some of the measures are “pro-criminal” and will lead to more violence. According to the Des Moines Register, multiple bills have been introduced this year, ranging from one that would amend the state constitution to effectively eliminate all gun regulations to another that would “permit a shoot-to-kill response by anyone who believes he’s being threatened with death or serious injury by another person.” The Register reported Wednesday that advocates for changes to the state’s current gun laws believe most of the bills are necessary to protect...

Think again, please. I am heartened by a report written by Jason Clayworth for the De Moines Register.com [ ] Proposal that could kill gun control advances. Way to go Jason!! The article reports the movement of proposed legislation to repeal gun control in the state of Iowa. Naturally, the opposition surfaces, and it is this which I want you to examine. My point is to ask whether there is a right answer in the so-called debate of gun control. There are no two sides to it, and there is a right answer. Anti-gun people simply do not want to...

HJR 2001, the legislation that reverses Iowa DNR's ban on lead ammunition during dove hunting season, passed in the Iowa House this morning on a 73-27 vote. The issue will now go to the Senate for debate. If it passes in the Senate, it is reported that Governor Branstad will sign the legislation into law. Also today, HJR 2005 was passed in a House Public Safety subcommittee meeting. HJR 2005 is legislation that would provide for an amendment to the Iowa Constitution that secures the right to keep and bear arms. The vote was 2-1, with Reps. Windschitl and Brandenburg...

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Does Iowa need a constitutional amendment to protect the right to bear arms? Iowa is one of six states with a constitution that does not provide gun rights to its citizens. There are laws in place that give Iowans the right to bear arms, but some lawmakers feel that's not enough. They're proposing to add an amendment to the Iowa Constitution. It states, “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...

Several new firearms related bills have been introduced in the Iowa House over the past several days. Here is a rundown of each of them: * HF 2113 – This bill would restore “Constitutional Carry” rights to Iowans. This bill is currently assigned to a Public Safety Subcommittee of Reps. Tjepkes, Baudler, and R. Olson. * HF 2114 – This bill would put and end to the patchwork of anti-carry ordinances, rules, and regulations that localities have adopted since Iowa went to a “Shall Issue” system of permit issuance on 1/1/11. This bill is currently assigned to a Public Safety...

Matt Strawn, the Iowa GOP chairman who has been embroiled in controversy since the Jan. 3 Iowa caucus results, is resigning, he announced Tuesday. “It is only because the Iowa GOP has returned as a strong and relevant voice in Iowa politics that I am now able to evaluate all the competing priorities in my personal, business and political life. The party is strong and has the resources in place for victory in November,” Strawn said in a statement. “Now is the time to transition to new leadership.” Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/72214.html#ixzz1l4EjaGAF

IOWA – -(Ammoland.com)- Progress at the Capitol!This has been a busy, busy couple of weeks for IFC, your Iowa NRA Affiliate Club! We have 3 issues to update you on, a new state added recognition of Iowa’s Permit to Carry, steady progress on the Traditional Ammunition Ban front and most importantly Stand Your Ground legislation is moving forward! Iowa Permit Now Recognized in Georgia IFC has been working with NRA, and also with Gary Slider at www.hangunlaw.us, to help get Georgia to recognize Iowa’s Permit to Carry. Thanks to all parties involved for their efforts. Georgia law was written such...

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today asked the principal behind the LightSquared 4G wireless project to explain a questionable contact to Grassley’s office that intimated benefits for Grassley if he softened his inquiry of government approval of the project. Since last April, Grassley has been reviewing the Federal Communications Commission’s approval of the LightSquared project and the concerns of interference with the Global Positioning System. According to a press release issued from Grassley’s office today, the Senator wrote to Philip Falcone of Harbinger Capital Partners, expressing concern that two separate incidents implied a desire to have Grassley “pull punches” in his...

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa -- Council Bluffs police said a blade-wielding, would-be robber picked the wrong drugstore to hold up. He ended up getting a fist in the face from the pharmacist. Pharmacist Bill Shipley encountered a man wearing a black stocking over his head on Wednesday morning. "At first, I thought it was the delivery man delivering our medications that we get every morning," said Shipley. Shipley, who works at Union Pharmacy, said the man told him he had a gun and demanded hydromorphone. "It's a pain medication," said Shipley. "If you abuse it, you can get high similar to...

owa is one of six states that doesn’t have an amendment in their state Constitutions covering for the right to bear arms. Council Bluffs lawmaker Mark Brandenburg wants to change that. Brandenburg, a Republican who represents District 100 in the Iowa House, is co-sponsoring legislation for an Iowa version of the 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Like all amendments to the Iowa Constitution, it would require passage by two consecutive general assemblies of the Legislature and then a vote by the people. “We’re just starting this in the House,” Brandenburg said. “I’m hopeful of its passage, but it’s still...

That is all!!

..Deacon Dan McGuire, parish administrator at Assumption Parish in Granger, Iowa. “We get involved in politics. That’s obvious. But as a former excluded minority ... we keep faith in our private community. We don’t vocalize it in public.”.. It’s not clear how many Iowa Catholics intend to participate in either caucus, but according to a poll in November for the Register, Catholics represent 21 percent of likely Republican caucus-goers. Catholics represent 19.5 percent of the Iowa population....Quiner said he believes Gingrich’s conversion to Catholicism “resonates with a lot of Catholics” despite Gingrich’s three marriages. That conversion was obviously not a...

New Hampshire CNN Poll released today: Romney 44% Paul 17% Gingrich 16% Huntsman 9% RS 4 MB 3 RPerry 2 none 5

Clive, IA --(Ammoland.com)- Caucus season is upon us and while Second Amendment issues are being discussed by presidential candidates, it’s extremely important for us to be active in the local party caucuses on Tuesday, January 3. IFC and NRA do a tremendous amount of heavy lifting to advance your rights at the Capitol, but ultimately it’s the grassroots efforts of our members that really make the biggest difference. For example, IFC members utilizing our Action Center: * Accounted for the bulk of e-mails received by legislators when we achieved victory with Shall Issue in 2010. * Helped us get behind...

The dawning realization of what a Ron Paul win in the Iowa caucuses would mean for Republicans, Iowa, and the caucuses has apparently begun to dawn on Iowa Republicans. Politico calls this a “Ron Paul panic,” but it’s actually a bit of an existential crisis: *snip* The dawning realization of what a Ron Paul win in the Iowa caucuses would mean for Republicans, Iowa, and the caucuses has apparently begun to dawn on Iowa Republicans. Politico calls this a “Ron Paul panic,” but it’s actually a bit of an existential crisis:

Newt Gingrich rolled out a pair of high profile endorsements Tuesday, hoping to regain momentum in Iowa as recent polls have shown the one-time frontrunner slipping back into the middle of the Republican pack. Don Wildmon, the founder and chairman of the American Family Association, announced his support for Gingrich Tuesday. The group, which promotes conservative Christian values and has a nationwide radio network of more than 180 stations, is a coup for Gingrich who has struggled to convince conservative voters to overlook a past that includes multiple divorces and admitted marital infidelity. "Newt Gingrich recognizes the threat to our...

Iowa Speaker Paulsen endorses Gingrich for 2012 GOP nomination HIAWATHA — Iowa Speaker of the House Kraig Paulsen is endorsing Newt Gingrich for the Republican nomination for president. Paulsen, a Hiawatha Republican, will announce his endorsement at an 8:30 a.m. State Capitol news conference Dec. 21.

Link to article: Family Leader’s endorsement struggle reflects angst among Iowa social conservatives

DAVENPORT, Iowa — Returning to Iowa where the latest polls show his campaign suddenly slipping, Newt Gingrich lamented what he called a barrage of negative ads aimed at him and promised a 44-stop “jobs and prosperity” tour before the voting on Jan. 3 to fight back. Mr. Gingrich renewed a vow to stick to the high road and campaign positively, but he still aimed a stinging barb at unnamed Republican rivals for ads that have relentlessly gone after his record on Freddie Mac and other issues and seem to be raising doubts with voters. “I’m candidly very disappointed that some...

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is spending $242,000 ona week’s worth of television ads in Iowa, according to a Republican media buyer, as he seeks to combat massive spending against him in the run-up to the Jan. 3 caucuses. he money will go to 30-second spots airing from tomorrow through next Monday. The focus is on Des Moines — the average person will see the Gingrich ad ten times in a week in that market — but there will also be heavy rotation in Cedar Rapids and Sioux City with smaller buys in Davenport and the Rochester-Mason City market. Gingrich...

ccording to a new poll by Public Policy Polling, Ron Paul has taken the lead in Iowa with 23 percent, followed by Mitt Romney at 20 percent and Newt Gingrich at 14 percent. But questions have arisen about the poll, indicating it may be what pollsters call an "outlier." Ed Morrissey of Hot Air, for example, questions PPP's definition of "likely" caucus-goers: *snip* Paul would also find himself coming under the same intense scrutiny that other GOP front-runners have experienced. No doubt that criticism will cause heads to explode among Paul's more strident supporters who view anyone critical of the...

Remember 2004? Insurgent Democrat Howard Dean uses a rash of young people online to raise surprising sums of money and gather incredible “buzz” for his candidacy. And yet he drops to third in Iowa, then second in New Hampshire. He would not go on to California, and Texas, and New York, nor would he take the White House. Now between the PPP poll I covered earlier, and Insider Advantage, It’s Ron Paul in the Howard Dean spot. He only wins if the youth show up. The facts: Unknown number of likely caucus goers (note that Insider Advantage calls it a...

PPP says that they are polling likely Republican caucus-goers, but there’s a reason for a little skepticism on their sample. At 597 respondents, the size is respectable enough, but its composition and definition of “likely” is quite shaky. Only a little over half (55%) bothered to caucus with Republicans in 2008, an election primary with as much publicity and import as this one. Thirteen percent caucused with the Democrats, which is reasonable because (a) Democrats aren’t conducting a primary this cycle, and (b) some who caucused with Democrats might be inclined to support Republicans this year. However, almost a third...

23.6 Giuliani +4.2 19.4 Huckabee 13.7 Romney 11.6 Thompson 11.3 McCain 4.4 Paul

Newt Gingrich's14-point lead over Mitt Romney among likely Iowa Republican caucus-goers is grounded in large part in support from Tea Party and evangelical voters, who have a far more positive view of Gingrich than they do Romney, according to a new CBS News/New York Times poll. Poll: Gingrich takes double-digit lead over Romney in Iowa Gingrich wins the support of 34 percent of white evangelicals expected to attend the Republican caucuses on January 3. That's higher than the 31 percent of likely caucus-goers who support Gingrich overall, and far outpaces Romney, who wins the support of just 10 percent of...

This is a WHO TV DesMoines Iowa interview with Herman Cain 11/15/11, discussing his strategy on Iowa as well as his answers on Libya The poster of this video also has a good list of links that I thought you would enjoy also: SHARE THESE LINKS WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY Facebook Fan Page "No Cain No Gain" (visit and click 'Like') - http://facebook.com/nocainnogain HERMAN CAIN SONGS AND TOP HITS"Beat Obama With a Cain" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_fq-_iOTLE"GO CAIN" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFIF_pIuOmQTHE HERMAN CAIN TRAIN IS COMING... (A Parody Song by Jimmy Z) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0obH91kklR8"I Am America" (Cain campaign theme song) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtvLYEXWojE"Obama...

Rasmussen’s latest poll in Iowa gives Newt Gingrich a big claim to legitimacy in the Republican nomination fight, but it also is pretty good news for Mitt Romney as well. Among likely caucus-goers, Gingrich now leads Romney 32/19, with Herman Cain dropping more than half of his previous support: The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely Iowa Republican caucus-goers shows Gingrich with 32% followed by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney at 19%. Georgia businessman Herman Cain, who led in Iowa last month, drops to third with 13% of the vote. Texas Congressman Ron Paul draws 10% of the...

A 22-year-old North Liberty man was arrested for supplying officers with different Social Security numbers on separate, unrelated arrests. Cruz Maximo-Campos, 247 B Holiday Lodge Road, was charged Sept. 19. with tampering with records after he allegedly obtained employment at Panchero's using a false Permanent Alien Resident card. He was also employed under a different Social Security number, the complaint said. After investigation, officers found that neither of the Social Security numbers belonged to the man. Campos may face incarceration and possible deportation if he is found to be an illegal immigrant. According to officials, incidences such as this are...

CBS News has been among the few mainstream media outlets to treat the “Operation Fast and Furious” scandal as a big story all along. They just published some tapes of an amazing conversation between Arizona gun dealer Andrew Howard, who was one of the dealers used by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms to deliberately sell American guns to Mexican drug cartels, and ATF agent Hope MacAllister. Howard’s Lone Wolf Trading Company sold the guns that later turned up at the scene of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry’s murder. The tapes were made in February, just as the...