In just a few months young adults in Iowa will have expanded protections for their Second Amendment rights. Gov. Kim Reynolds recently signed legislation lowering the age to acquire and possess a handgun from 21 to 18, and the new law officially takes effect in July. While the revision to Iowa law doesn't impact the federal prohibition on retail handgun sales to under-21s, those young adults will at least be able to purchase a pistol through private sales... and just as importantly, be able to carry that firearm in self-defense. 

The bill has sparked strong opinions on both sides. 

Rep. Lindsay James (D-Dubuque) called it a dangerous move.

"For me, it has to do with safety and supervision," James said.

She voted against the bill when it first appeared on the House floor, citing concerns about gun violence on school and college campuses. 

"I have always been a supporter of common-sense gun safety, and so I did not vote for that particular piece of legislation primarily because of my concerns around young people and increased violence on high school and college campuses," James said.

James pointed to a recent campus shooting at Florida State University as one reason for her opposition.

"We just saw a shooting at Florida State, and so there's a lot of concern about 18-year-olds being able to conceal handguns and bring them into their schools," she said.

We did just see a shooting at Florida State, and in that case the law barring adults under the age of 21 from purchasing any and all firearms at retail did absolutely nothing to prevent that attack. 

Meanwhile, that law and the state's ban on campus carry did a great job of ensuring that the attacker on the FSU campus didn't mean with any armed resistance until police showed up on the scene. I don't know if James would call that a success story, but from where I stand this was yet another gun control fail. 

Gun rights advocates say those concerns are exactly why the law should change. Nicholas Gluba, a Marine veteran and Libertarian candidate for Iowa's 1st Congressional District in 2024, says 18-year-olds already take on major responsibilities.

"I personally think it's long overdue," Gluba said. "At 18 years old, you can sign up for the military, which I did myself, and we used much much larger and much more dangerous weapons than the standard pistol. If you have the full legal rights to join the military, I don't see why you shouldn't be able to use any common semi-automatic pistol or revolver."

James pushed back on the comparison, saying military members undergo training and operate under strict supervision.

"When you're in the military, there's supervision, there's training, there are a number of safety parameters when it comes to carrying a weapon that could end someone's life,” James said. “Right now, we already know that the second leading cause of death in the state of Iowa among children and teens is death by gun."

Does that mean James supports raising the age to drive from 17 to 21? Where's her legislation to keep under-21s from getting behind the wheel? I mean, if her only answer to addressing young adults and safety is prohibiting them from engaging in particular activities, that seems like the logical thing to do, right? 

It's not just that 18-year-olds can enlist in the military. They can serve on a jury. They can get married. They can enjoy (or tolerate, in some cases) all of the trappings of adulthood, save for the ability to buy beer or hard liquor. Frankly, I'm in favor of lowering the drinking age to 18 as well, but that's a topic for another post... and probably another website as well. 

Will some adults under the age of 21 abuse their right to keep and bear arms? Sadly, yes. But there are also adults over the age of 21 who do the same, and we (or at least most of us) don't see that as a reason to curtail a fundamental civil right for everyone else. James can be as criticial as she wants, but she can't change the fact that starting on July 1, 18-year-olds will be able to exercise every right enumerated in the Constitution, including the ability to keep and bear the most common arms used in self-defense.