drake relays starter gun pistol
A starter fires his pistol at the start of a race at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Iowa Republican legislators are asking us to troop to the polls Nov. 8 and vote “yes” on their “right to keep and bear arms” amendment. Forty-four other states already have fortified their constitutions that way, they say.

Not exactly. Iowa’s salute to the Second Amendment adds cryptic language that makes it dangerous. It wards off infringement by liberal judges. Only Louisiana, Alabama and Missouri have gone that far. So read up on Iowa’s amendment before voting.

What next? What will be the GOP’s follow-up to this nearly undeletable amendment and previously passed laws forsaking the sensible “Castle Doctrine” in favor of reckless “stand your ground” and “concealed carry?”

Republicans should do what their counterparts in nine other states have done: Get a gun.

No, not a real firearm — an official state gun. Consider the need. Heed the call to action. Here we are in the heart of the land of the free — birth state of Buffalo Bill and John Wayne, no less — and we lack a firearm to group with a bird, flower, tree and rock (American goldfinch, wild rose, oak and geode, respectively).

All it would take is a legislative resolution. No probable intrigue or opposition from that perennial stick in the mud, the “Democrat” Party.

Anointing a weapon symbolically as Iowa’s own would be safe. It wouldn’t hurt anyone.

— Jerry Elsea in Iowa, Get Your State Gun

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48 COMMENTS

    • Yeah, my initial thought as well. I’m not quite certain what to make of this article and its author Jerry Elsea. Tongue-in-cheek sarcasm? Genuine advice to his readers? Exasperated attempt at a solution to some perceived problem? Not sure of the intended tone…

      • If not satire I can only imagine a desperate and poor attempt to limit “damage” read increasing liberty and limiting malicious prosecution potential of activist attorneys. Oh and permitless carry with a permit that bypasses NICS, full protection for home built firearms, and stand your ground with full property castle doctrine for all. Anything else is uncivilized.

  3. Oh yeah, great idea. Pass over real 2A protections for a nonsensical “feel good” action like voting for a state firearm.

    Idiot Democrats.

  4. I can’t believe you stopped there when this gem was just a little further on in the article, “Weapons fanciers will spot a thunderous exception in that list: Tennessee’s idolized weapon, the Barrett M82, is a 30-pound semi-automatic sniper gun capable of killing an elephant from a mile away, if someone would want to do such a thing. Arnold Schwarzenegger in his heyday couldn’t have wielded such a monstrosity, even if aided by Sylvester Stallone. So it must be tripod-mounted.”

    • As someone who has successfully fired a M82 while standing, I find this highly amusing. Apparently, I (and all the others in the class who did) are stronger than this cursed Rambo-Terminator combo.

      • You probably DID kill an elephant, that magical round kept going half way around the planet to India or Africa and murdered an innocent pachyderm. And you don’t even care, you monster. Guns are icky and you should feel bad for liking them.

    • Tennessean Ronnie Barrett is credited with developing the first SHOULDERED fired .50BMG weapon. Do have tripods/pintle mounts for my several Barrett 50s (82/107A1s), but prefer firing from the included bipods, at times with supplied rear monpods. Have fired freehanded many times for S&Gs……not quite as accurately. 🙂 🙂 🙂

    • How can you reasonably determine the elephant’s intent at a mile?

      I think the elders of the village erred when they passed the Stand Your Savanna law.

    • “Nearly undeletable amendment”. A failed attempt at ”humor”. He’s a dipshite…why does TTAG need a point?

    • “I have no idea what the point of this article is?”

      I’ll translate, as I can speak liberal (I have to, to survive in New Jersey!)
      In the voice of South Park guidance counselor Mr. Mackey, the translation of this article is:
      “Guns are bad, m’kay?”

    • I like TTAG, but it’s often as if they’ve never even *seen* a properly-edited article before. Without context this is just a snippet, not a standalone story.

      More importantly, what gun do they want to enshrine?? That’s the real stuff we should be arguing about.

  7. Been a few days since this incident……

    https://youtu.be/VZErTGLCdRI

    Why no coverage here on TTAG?

    I’ll be interesting to hear the lil’dtard take.
    I’m guessing something along the lines of ‘dUrRrRrRrRrRr..dOn’T cArRy A gUn U hAiRlEsS cHiMp’.
    Or…..’bE sAfE…cApItAlVaNiA sEz cOmPlY’.
    Or…..’iF yOu dOn’T fOrCiBlY rEsIsT, yOu wOn’T dIe. 🤪

    • Wow if that dead guy would have had a gunm the perpetrator made a lot of mistakes that could have been capitalized on.
      What a piece of sht crook.
      Well at any rate he will have some fun stories to tell his fellow inmates.
      What’s a murder like that sentence now, couple weeks or do you get put on a no cash bail?

  9. RE :”No probable intrigue or opposition from that perennial stick in the mud, the “Democrat” Party.”

    State Gun? There are bigger fish to fry. Until further notice it is the democRat Party. And do vote the Rats out on November 8, 2022.

  13. As a start, I would use basic firearms that “won the west” like the Winchester 73 or colt 45 to start. Move up in time to guns that kept Americans free like the 1903 Springfield, Garrand and eventually AR15. Chipping away at anti gunners easier that trying to get the whole basket at once. Turn their tactics on them.

    • A state gun should be something that is made or was invented in that state. You don’t pick a cardinal as your state bird if they don’t have cardinals in your state. However, they need to enshrine the RTKBA in their state constitution before fooling around with silly stuff like state mascots. As Ranger Rick said, Les Baer 1911s are made in Iowa, so that might be a good choice.

  15. While I don’t agree at all, the idea of a state gun is a fun one. Perhaps there should be a TTAG article to discuss which gun fits for each state. It would be fun.

    • I agree we should nominate various state guns. Off the top of my head, a Glock with a 12lb trigger for New York. The goofiest current Kel-Tec for Florida. A pistol grip Mossberg 12 ga with duct tape on the grip for Alabama. Tommy Gun for Illinois. And whatever Ted Nugent thinks for Michigan.

    • “……which gun fits for each state…..”

      It would be interesting if historians and FUDDS lead the debate.

      If people who understand why the 2nd A exists lead the debate?
      Expect ‘boring stuff’, like FA suppressed ARs and M134 miniguns. 🤔

  17. I read the description of the amendment and it is straightforward to me. This guy is just seems to want his piece of fame in sarcasm.

  18. lets agree on this since the article is wwwwhattt??

    THE GOP HAS LET DOWN THE PRO AMERICAN POV

    for decades now

    and their hatred for the maga that shined the light on the co-operation between

    leftists who have always hated america and the rinos who scream abortion to raise money

    has worn out its welcome like aoc at a mensa meeting

    maga only need apply!!

  20. Here is a better idea: pass a constitutional amendment that provides the the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, that should do it, only a moron . . .Oh, that may not work, but it’s worth trying. Anyway, step two, make every firearm the state firearm.

  21. Great. hi points are made in ohio. oh well still better than new jersey I guess. kinda. sorta. at least we can have hollow points

    • Tired – many (most?) Henry Repeating Arms are built in noo joisee so it ‘could’ become an issue trying to figure out a ‘proper’ state gun form them 😉

  23. FWIW- The proposed IA Constitutional Amendment madates that strict scrutiny will be used in all cases and proposed legislation dealing with constitutionality following its passage. Therein lies the problem with the bedwetters: along with Bruen, it will not be possible for an IA judge to make up some sort of “for the good of society” ruling, they will be forced to follow the wording and original intent of the Second Amendment.

    The vast majority of states having a 2A protection written into their constitutions do not require adherence to strict scrutiny, so states like IL, CO, and most of the 42 others can find simple ways to water down the 2A right to the point where they don’t even have to allow carrying of any type or issuing FOIDs or anything else.

    Should this proposal pass, and I believe it will, Iowa will have one of the most air-tight guarantees of any state. This seems to be just now coming to light among the bedwetter-types. Sadly, even a fair number of pro-2A people don’t understand it, either. A couple of days ago I was explaining it to a number of people who should know, including some cops and a lower level county attorney. To date, we’ve not seen much from Watts/Bloomberg, et al , but I’m sure that’s coming soon.

    (And to the points above, I’m not certain WTH this Jerry Elsea is talking about, either, but if he, himself knows, it’s likely the strict scrutiny mandate.)

  24. The author of this article must have been smoking some weird shit. What is he talking about anyway? All that aside, making the right to keep and bear arms as a right under state law is very forward-looking. It re-enforces the 10th Amendment protection of state’s rights to make their own laws. It also pre-empts a federal attempt to circumvent the Constitution by issuing administrative and regulatory rules that by-pass Congressional authority. The ‘gun control’ movement consists mostly of Communists who are scared to death of an armed populace. ‘We the People’ are the only ones standing in their way of total domination. Molon labe.

    • “It re-enforces the 10th Amendment protection of state’s rights to make their own laws.”

      But without the strict scrutiny mandate for interpretation of the US Second Amendment, that has not been a good thing. 44 states claim to have a 2A “acknowledgement” yet many still restrict firearms to the point where citizens cannot carry, store/maintain a loaded firearm for home protection, mandate locking them up with ammo in separate locations, etc.

      Some 2A protection…

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