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Iowa Gun Safety Coalition is an informal coalition of many organizations across the state of Iowa whose interests include legislation that will prevent or reduce gun violence.

We’ve been busy!  Just a couple of weeks til Election Day. This letter includes three important topics: the release of our Voter Guide, a quick summary of our (unsuccessful) efforts to stop the Guns in Schools Bill, and how you can still help with these two efforts.

1. Voter Guide

The Coalition, working with Iowans for Gun Safety, the statewide not-for-profit organization seeking common sense solutions to gun violence, announces the availability of its November 2024 Gun Violence Prevention Voter Guide. The Voter Guide is available right now on the organization’s website at: https://iowansforgunsafety.org/voterguide2024/

Voters using the guide will be able to learn the basics about key firearms-related legislative voting records (for incumbents) and NRA grades and Moms Demand Action “Gun Sense Distinction’ awards for many of the Iowa legislative candidates in their Iowa Senate and House districts. All Senate seats of even-numbered districts and all House seats are on the ballot.

Iowa Gun Safety Coalition operates on the principle that informed voters will want to seek out candidates who are interested in stopping the public health epidemic of gun violence.

Art Roche, chair of Iowans for Gun Safety, stated:

“Reduction of gun violence is one of the issues that we want voters to consider in this election. In the last four years, some legislation was enacted into Iowa law that makes it more difficult to enact or enforce gun violence prevention laws (the gun amendment) and just this year, a law allowing teachers to carry guns in the classroom. We don’t tell people how to vote, but in our Voter Guide we do tell people how incumbent candidates voted on those key votes, which candidates are graded A and A+ by the world’s largest gun manufacturing lobby, and which are applauded as exemplary by Moms Demand Action. Then people can consider this information as they weigh their options on the ballot.”

2. Guns in Schools

You’re probably aware that HF 2586, the Iowa bill to allow teachers to carry guns in classrooms, passed both houses in totally partisan votes and was signed into law this summer by Governor Kim Reynolds. We organized a coalition of many organizations with missions that included gun violence prevention which addressed the arming of teachers and also helped inform the 2024 Voters Guide. Once the law was passed, we were also involved in commenting on the haphazard regulations that were drafted to actually implement the law, and some of those comments were taken to heart.

We sent letters to each of the 333 school district superintendents in Iowa, and to each of their corresponding school boards. Here’s a copy of that letter:

August 2024

Dear School Board President,

Iowans for Gun Safety, a nonprofit organization, leads a statewide coalition of organizations (listed below) that view gun violence as a public health crisis. It is from this perspective we are writing to you about a new Iowa law that will significantly affect every student, parent, school board, administrator and school employee in the state. During the 2024 session, the Iowa legislature passed, and the Governor signed into law, House File 2586, the Guns in Schools bill. Among other things, the new law —

• Authorizes school employees to carry firearms on school property
• Offers qualified immunity to school employees and school boards from civil or criminal litigation
• Blocks school boards from making public the names of school employees who have permits to carry guns on school premises

Iowans for Gun Safety and our coalition partners oppose this legislation for many reasons. We are convinced guns in schools will make students, teachers and staff less safe. A robust body of public health research strongly suggests armed teachers would not effectively deter gun violence. We are not alone in our opinion. A Giffords Law Center report from April 2023 found 70% of teens and parents and 80% of teachers who responded to their survey think arming teachers is a bad idea. The new law raises many questions that school boards and administrators must address:

• If employees receive a permit to carry a gun on campus, where will the firearms be stored? Who will have access to the gun cabinet or storage container? If the firearms are locked away for safety, who will be authorized to unlock the storage container and under what circumstances?
• Will teachers with gun permits keep their guns in the classroom? Where?
• If a school district allows employees to keep firearms in classrooms, what is the process to be followed if parents object to their children being in classrooms containing guns?
• Will parents know whether their children’s teachers have guns in the classroom? The law states the names of employees with permits to carry firearms on campus are confidential.
• Will employees with permits be allowed to carry weapons at school events?
• Will your school district’s insurance company continue your coverage given the “qualified immunity” language of the law?
• Will school board members and school administrators even know whether employees have acquired permits that allow them to carry firearms on school grounds?

We urge you to carefully consider the new law and its implications for your school district. We will closely follow decisions made by school boards regarding this law. If your board has discussions about this new law or about gun violence in schools in general, we would welcome your comments and information about your planned course of action.

Sncerely,

Art Roche, Chair, Iowans for Gun Safety

Iowa Gun Safety Coalition: Iowans for Gun Safety, Franciscan Peace Center, Clinton, IA March for Our Lives Iowa, Northeast Iowa Peace and Justice Center, Decorah, IA Iowa, Methodist Federation for Social Action, The Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus, The Iowa Chapter of Brady United Against Gun Violence, Iowa Unitarian Universalist Witness, Iowa United Women in Faith, Dubuque Coalition for Nonviolence (CNV), Amnesty International Iowa, Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, American Association of University Women-Iowa, Iowa United Methodist Conference Board of Church & Society, Retired Clergy serving Des Moines Burns United Methodist Church, League of Women Voters of Iowa, Plymouth Peace and Justice Committee, League of Women Voters of Dubuque, Women’s International League of Peace & Freedom

(UPDATE) So far, we are not aware of any school districts that have adopted the provisions of the law to allow their teachers to carry firearms in schools.

3. What You Can Do

First, please disseminate our Voter Guide today! (Early voting starts on October 16, so there’s little time to spare.) Include the link to our Voter Guide in your communications such as emails and Facebook posts:  https://iowansforgunsafety.org/voterguide2024/

Voter Guide 2024

Second, if you are aware of any action your local school board has taken on arming teachers, please let me know.

You can support our work here: Join – Iowans for Gun Safety.

But more importantly, stay safe and vote wisely

Thanks!

Art Roche
Chair, Iowans for Gun Safety
IowansForGunSafety.org
515-318-7685