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Iowa State Students React To Constitutional Carry

(AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Iowa is the latest state in the nation to have constitutional carry, which is a good thing for Iowa residents whether they realize it or not.

You see, many people buy into the myth that more guns mean more crime. They think any expansion of gun rights makes people less safe. It doesn’t help that the media doesn’t really talk about how the decline in violent crime coincides with the expansion of gun rights at the state level in so many places.

But at Iowa State, students are reacting to the new law.

After the mass shootings in Colorado and Georgia, many Iowans are disheartened by the new bill.

“With these mass shootings happening, we’ve seen the devastation of guns, and we haven’t necessarily seen the protections that guns supposedly provide,” Daniel Hayes, senior in political science and Student Government College of Liberal Arts and Sciences senator, said.

Aura Garcia, a sophomore in sociology, echoed Hayes’ disapproval.

“I think this was the wrong time for this law change,” Garcia said. “I think this is a message from Gov. Kim Reynolds that she doesn’t care about the rise of hate crimes towards Asian Americans and the safety of Iowans.”

Honestly, Hayes may need to revisit recent history if she thinks guns don’t provide protection.

A mass shooting was ended in White Settlement, TX when an armed citizen serving as church security put an end to a rampage before it could get rolling well.

In Sutherland Springs, TX, an armed citizen engaged a mass shooter who exited a church where he’d just commited an absolute atrocity, ending his rampage before he could hurt anyone else.

In fact, there are a number of other instances of armed citizens affording all kinds of protection to society. Usually, though, it ends before it can become a mass shooting, so it never makes the headlines.

Further, mass shootings are rare. They’re black swan events. More mundane crimes are far more common and those are averted by armed citizens all the time.

The problem is that there aren’t enough guns out there in the hands of law-abiding citizens. That needs to change, especially among Asian-Americans who are concerned with being targeted for hate crimes.

“Personally, it makes me feel less safe. I think carrying guns without a permit allows people to purchase a gun without proof of responsibility; there are certain things that it’s important to prove responsibility to obtain things, such as a car or credit card,” Hayes said.

Wow. Hayes is on a roll, ain’t he? That’s an awful lot of stupid in just a couple of sentences.

First, permitless carry doesn’t change how people obtain firearms. It simply says you can carry a gun without getting a permit, much like how you can voice an opinion without one.

Second, his comparisons are beyond idiotic. I get that he’s a political science major, but it looks like Iowa State needs to up its standards a bit if he can get in.

You see, anyone can buy a car without anything but the money to buy a car. That’s right, a license is not required to make that purchase. Just the money for the car. You may need a license to drive on public roads, but you can own a car without a license just fine.

Further, credit cards are a different matter entirely. That’s credit, where the company wants to see if you’re responsible because they want to make sure they’ll get a return on their investment. It’s not the government determining whether or not your credit rating is good enough, it’s the credit card company.

Honestly, if this is what passes for cogent arguments on college campuses, we’re doomed.

Luckily, Hayes’ position wasn’t the only one.

“I am really excited about it; I think it was a great move by Reynolds to sign it,” said Laura Emery, a senior in financial counseling and planning and vice president of Young Americans for Freedom.

Emery said this bill is a good step in the right direction to ease back regulations and restrictions on guns.

With the new law, Iowans are not required to take a class to gain a permit, but like many other Iowans, Emery thinks people should consider taking a class.

“Super important that people consider taking an orientation class or a class about concealed carry,” Emery said.

And I agree with Emery.

It’s good to see at least some at Iowa State have their head screwed on straight.