COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa. (KMTV) — For Iowan and Council Bluffs resident Cole Button, guns play a big role in his life. He uses them for many reasons besides recreation.
"I'm not a big guy. I'm not super strong. Worst case scenario, I want to make sure I have a tool that I can protect myself with, and I want to make sure everyone in the state who is a lawful person has the right to protect themselves," Button said.
He and other Iowans will vote on adding a gun rights amendment to the state constitution on Nov. 8.
The proposed constitutional amendment says: "The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. The sovereign state of Iowa affirms and recognizes this right to be a fundamental individual right. Any and all restrictions of this right shall be subject to strict scrutiny."
What is "strict scrutiny?"
"Basically, stating that this is a fundamental right, a God-given right. If anybody's gonna mess with this, they better be prepared to go through a very high and most expensive legal process," said Iowa Firearms Coalition's John McLaughlin.
Council Bluffs attorney Dan McGinn would rather see the federal courts decide if strict scrutiny should be the standard, insisting this is a nationwide issue we're dealing with.
"Schools here are like schools in Florida, schools in Texas, you know. I don't think firearms should be allowed in any schools. That's a pretty common need in the U.S.," McGinn said.
Kayla Panos-Blackcloud is a victim of gun violence. Three years ago, she was in a car when a gunman shot her in the face killing two of her friends and injuring another.
"My life has been impacted greatly just by physical adaptions and learning how to proceed in life with only one hand and learning how to just continue (to) live my life every single day," Panos-Blackcloud said.
What she wants to see is responsible gun ownership like background checks.
These are big decisions for Iowans to make on something that's important, yet polarizing.
"We wouldn't be a country if we didn't have our firearms. We wouldn't even exist if we didn't have that," Button said.
Only three other states have this kind of language in their constitutions: Alabama, Missouri, and Louisiana. If this passes, Iowa would be the fourth.
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