The Des Moines Register published a story in Sunday’s edition that investigated the 2011 law that broadened Iowa’s concealed-carry law.  The story found that of the148,000 people who applied for a permit in the last two years, 99.6% of them were granted.--just 627 were denied.  County sheriffs quoted in the Register’s story expressed concern at the lack of local control in deciding who can, and can’t, have a permit.  2nd Amendment advocates say the law is simply a pure expression of the constitutional protection. 

The question I have for you is this:  does knowing that six percent of all adults in Iowa have the right to carry a gun make you feel more or less safe?  The math is pretty simple--if you work in an office of 100 people, six of them carry guns—or have the legal right to carry.

As I talked about this on the air today, I’m reminded of the Ames city council debate a year ago involving the man who wanted a Federal Firearms License so he could sell guns out of his house.  Neighbors who opposed it said they never would have bought a house in the area if they knew someone was selling guns out of their house.  They said they felt less safe “just knowing” there were guns nearby.  The counter to this is pretty simple—FFL or not, people who live near you have guns in their homes whether you know it or not.  Will that keep you awake at night?  No, probably not.  

Play this forward with Iowa’s concealed-carry law.  Someone in your office, in your coffee klatch, or watching your kids play soccer is carrying a gun.  Do you feel more or less safe?