Photo courtesy of Iowa Firearms Coalition.
It’s official, the battle in Iowa has been won! Iowa has become the 42nd state to legalize suppressors. House File 2279, a bill introduced by Rep. Matt Windschitl and Rep. Terry Baxter, recently passed the Iowa Senate Judiciary Committee on March 2, 2016 by a wide margin of 11-2. The bill continued to move through the Iowa Senate with no issues and has now officially been signed by Governor Terry Branstad. Effective immediately, the new law also makes Iowa the 39th state to allow for the use of suppressors while hunting.
It’s been a three year fight strongly led by the American Suppressor Association, the National Rifle Association, and the Iowa Firearms Coalition. HF 2279 was introduced to lawmakers by educating them firsthand about the benefits and realities of suppressors.
“The legalization of suppressors in Iowa is a tremendous victory for the law abiding citizens of The Hawkeye State,” said Knox Williams, President and Executive Director of the American Suppressor Association. “For the past three years, the ASA has worked alongside the Iowa Firearms Coalition, the National Rifle Association, Rep. Windschitl, and, this year, Rep. Baxter to get this legislation passed so that the sportsmen and women of Iowa could use these benign accessories to protect their hearing while in the field and at the range. We are incredibly excited that Iowa is now one of 42 states that allows suppressor ownership, and one of 39 states that allows their use while hunting.”
Iowa’s victory is adding to the fire and bringing more hope to the American Suppressor Association’s “No State Left Behind” campaign. Currently there are eight other states left where suppressors are still illegal for civilians to own, which is why the American Suppressor Association is now turning its attention to California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York.
