Free Republic

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...