And now, a few words from the Register

At the Des Moines Register, Lawmakers approve bills for concealed guns, I-JOBS

From the sky is falling crowd, Rep. Mary Mascher, D-Iowa City:

"...this kind of reciprocity, I think, is a formula for disaster."

From the bonehead status quo section:

Rep. Bruce Hunter, D-Des Moines, argued for retaining the discretion of sheriffs to deny permits for any number of reasons.

Hunter contended that it's rare for sheriffs to be overprotective and wrongly deny gun permits. And if that's a problem, voters can oust the sheriff, he said.

I guess he hasn't lived in Des Moines, Louisa or Johnson counties. Or maybe Benton county, where you can only carry while hunting.

But another view:

"This bill is a first step forward toward restoring true constitutional rights to carry a weapon," said Rep. Dwayne Alons, R-Hull.

We will have to keep him at his word and take the next step. Too bad he didn't persuade a few of his cohorts in the legislature to pass the amendment to eliminate the whole permit process.

And the obligatory NRA reference:

The bill's passage is noteworthy in part because it marked the re-emergence of the powerful National Rifle Association on the Iowa political scene. Quiet in Iowa for years, the gun advocacy group made a major push for the bill. (Not to mention their work on the disarmament bill they helped write - ed)

As if Iowa Carry or Iowa Gun Owners sat on their hands and needed the professionals to swoop in to save us.