DES MOINES, Iowa — The Des Moines Register this week reported that Iowa has been issuing gun permits to blind residents, a trend made possible by a 2011 change in the way Iowa regulates gun ownership. The bill, signed by former Governor Culver, says that blind citizens, like sighted ones, also have a constitutional right under the Second Amendment to accidentally shoot and kill friends and relatives.
According to the 2010 legislation that turned Iowa into a ‘shall issue’ state from a ‘may issue’ state – meaning that anyone who applies for a gun permit will receive one unless there is a specific reason for denial -blind Americans have for too long been denied the right to buy a gun with the intention of defending themselves from burglars and bad guys, only to accidentally shoot members of their own family ”
Rep. Clel Baudler (R-Greenfield) was a strong proponent of the bill and continues to believe in it, although he acknowledged that his disappointment with how few accidental shootings there have been so far. “I assumed that as soon as we gave people who were legally blind the right to bear arms, there would be accidental shootings up and down our great state, from Spencer all the way down to Burlington,” Baudler said. “So I guess we should now assume that blind people are all wussies, or just really poor shots.”
Former Governor Chet Culver, who signed the bill into law three years ago, stood by his decision despite mounting scrutiny, saying: “Many would argue you’re really not an American until you’ve accidentally shot one of your children or close friends, ideally killing them: just grazing them would be Canadian.”
