To the Editor:
I don’t tell people how to vote, but I’m making an exception in this case. There is an amendment to the Iowa Constitution on the ballot this year. Called “Public Measure #1,” it purports to protect Iowans by making sure any future gun legislation in the state is “strictly scrutinized.” The language is foggy, but what it really means is that any new law must go before a judge for “strict judicial review,” a technical term that in effect makes it almost impossible for any common-sense gun control law to pass.
I urge you to turn your ballot over (since it’s on side #2), and vote NO. The Iowa Catholic Conference (the public policy voice of Iowa’s bishops) opposes state constitutional amendments that would make regulation of guns more difficult.
Please share this with your friends, too. I’m afraid most won’t see it, won’t care, will misinterpret it and vote yes. Passage of the amendment would be a terrible blow to resolving gun violence in this country.
Gale Francione
Davenport
