DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa Republican lawmakers are working to expand where guns can legally be carried in Iowa.
House members passed a bill that would in part allow people to bring guns onto school property, so long as the gun stays in a secured car.
Local 5 spoke with educators who brought up a number of concerns.
One of the main issues they said is the bill renders gun-free zones essentially worthless by requiring school districts and public universities and colleges to allow weapons on their grounds.
Melissa Peterson, legislative and policy director for the Iowa State Education Association, said many people have reached out with concerns about the bill.
House File 654 states if a person is on school grounds, their guns must be kept in a locked car, but Peterson says that safety measure doesn't go far enough.
"Pick up and drop off in a K-12 setting can be volatile, right? We know. There are high passions and energies," Peterson said. "It's stressful times of the day, and we do have concerns about how this is going to be implemented, but our staff and our students deserve to feel safe. We don't think this bill helps them feel safer."
It's not just K-12 school districts who would be required to get rid of their gun-free zones. Drake University Law Professor Robert Rigg explains it would also impact some higher education campuses.
"My understanding [is that] the law would only apply to public schools, including college campuses. And that would include community colleges, the state universities, and so on," Rigg said.
Since Drake University is a private school, it would not be required to comply with the law. However, over at DMACC, President Rob Denson said while they will follow the law, they'd like to have a say in the matter.
"Our preference would be to maintain local control," Denson said. "Given all the shootings that have occurred throughout the United States, you know, we believe the fewer guns we have on campus, the better just for safety reasons."
Local 5 reached out to Des Moines police on how the law might impact them, but they declined to comment before the bill is made law. We also reached out to the Iowa State Patrol and the Iowa DOT, but neither agency was available for comment on Friday.
CLARIFICATION: Iowa law does not state that all guns have to be disassembled and locked in a case while driving; Iowa Code Chapters 483A.35 and 4834A36 relate to "every kind of gun or rifle, except a revolver or pistol."