Iowa has "loose" gun laws

A news article mixed with editorial comments, an Austin, MN news station describes Iowa's new carry law as "loose".

"Under the new Iowa Law, we cannot restrict the movement of people with loaded guns in vehicles, wherever they go," says Cerro Gordo County Sheriff Kevin Pals as he and his department prepare for the new law.

As many of you know, this revamping of the permit system came about because sheriffs in some counties put restrictions on the permits. One sheriff in a county north of mine restricted one permit carrier to the point that it was only good while hunting. And you can legally carry a gun while hunting anyway.

Iowa follows Alaska, Arizona, and New Mexico in their adoption of a "Open Carry" gun law. The only regulation sheriffs statewide have are gun restrictions to those who have a criminal history.

Other states have open carry - Wisconsin and Virginia come to mind.

"They can walk their dog at night with a shot gun and there's nothing we can do about it," says Pals.

I wouldn't think about walking my dog while carrying a shotgun, unless I'm hunting pheasants.

After a snide comment regarding having a drink while carrying ("You heard it, you can legally consume alcohol while carrying a gun in public with a permit...") and noting a business can ban carrying by customers, I found this article on the site: Man Pulls Butcher Knife At Bar (Side note - this professional news anchor needs to learn how to spell. For someone who uses words for a living, that's sad.)

It would seem to me that having a weapon to defend oneself at Harold's Bar in Albert Lea would be prudent. But maybe he has a sign telling patrons not to come in armed.