Take Action for Gun Safety at the Polls

Gun violence has brought unspeakable horror to modern life, my own life included. From friends’ lives lost to anxiety about my children’s safety at school, it’s too much! I believe the antidote to anxiety is action. So I’ve been taking action–Talking to my friends and neighbors about gun laws in Iowa. Learning more about the proposed Constitutional Amendment. AND preparing to VOTE November 8.

Sara LockieWe Iowans have the rare opportunity to take action for gun safety at the polls November 8 by voting NO on Public Measure Number 1. This is not the no brainer it appears at first look. For one thing, most states do have 2nd amendment type laws. BUT, the proposed Iowa amendment is different.

Supporters call the amendment simply the “Right to Firearms,” but the added sentence requiring strict scrutiny makes it much more extreme and dangerous than the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution.

If in the future, Iowa wanted to require registration or firearm safety education, it might be barred by this law. If Iowans wanted to ban assault weapons or home-printed guns, this amendment might make it harder.

Public Measure Number 1 is a proposed amendment to the Iowa Constitution that is modeled after those of three other states that HAVE been recently approved. Those three states–Louisiana, Alabama, and Missouri rank 3rd, 4th, and 5th highest in the nation for gun deaths, respectively. Their gun amendments certainly have not made their states safer.

This is NOT what we want for Iowa.

Polls show that the majority of Iowans favor common sense gun laws. But midterm elections (without a presidential vote) attract fewer voters. So we need to make it a priority to get to the polls. Next Step Adventure is creating a campaign to help spread the word, and get people to the polls. This post is a first step. We’ve created a postcard for you to send to you friends.

We’ll be sending out an e-newsletter in the next week inviting you to join our postcard campaign. Sign up for the newsletter here.

Write postcards with us! Send your name & address to sara@nextstepadventure.com, and we’ll send you a packet of postcards to distribute. Together we can make a difference on this important vote.

If this proposed amendment passes, Iowa’s current (meager) gun safety laws could be challenged and overruled. Even though numerous public safety groups–public health, gun violence prevention, domestic violence intervention and religious groups–recommend we vote NO, this type of measure is hard to defeat.

  • The measure is on the back, and many voters don’t flip over the ballot.
  • The language is misleading
  • It’s a midterm election year

Most Iowans favor common sense gun laws. Take action! Talk to your friends and neighbors. Learn more. Write postcards with us!

To get your postcards, send your name & address, to sara@nextstepadventure.com, and we’ll send you a packet of postcards to distribute. Together we can make a difference on this important vote.

On November 8, please join me in voting NO on Public Measure Number 1.

Reader interactions

3 Replies to “Take Action for Gun Safety at the Polls”

  1. […] more about the amendment on our website, the Des Moines Register, and Iowa Public […]

  2. So thankful for this information, Sara!

  3. Martha McCormick October 18, 2022 at 3:28 pm

    I spoke to a group of 7th Graders yesterday, and tried to help them understand several things about this ballot measure. They are clear that they want more controls on gun ownership, but the way this amendment is written is very confusing.

    We also talked about the difference between changes to the Iowa Constitution (this) and regular laws, and how hard this will make it to pass and enforce any limits on gun control laws in the future. We even talked about how it takes two votes (the legislature AND the people) to change the Constitution. But to pass a law it just takes the legislature and the governor.

    I learned a lot getting ready to talk to the kids, including that the second highest cause of death to kids is guns (behind car crashes) and how much more gun violence affects people of color than white people.

    Vote NO on Public Measure Number 1.

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