(Radio Iowa) - The Iowa House has passed a bill that would lower the legal age for carrying a handgun in the state to 18.
Under current law, people who do not have a professional permit must be at least 21 years old in order to possess a handgun. Republican Representative Steven Holt of Denison says the idea that young adults between the ages of 18 and 21 are not mature enough to possession a handgun is being rejected by the courts. And Holt says young adults should have the same right to keep and bear arms as older adults.
The bill passed on a 79 to 18 vote. One critic of the bill pointed to federal data indicating death by gun is the second leading cause of death among children and teens.