There must be something in the corn: On Sunday, The Des Moines Register published an extensively researched article on a strange loophole in Iowa gun laws. Thanks to gun permit changes that took effect in Iowa in 2011, people with visual impairments can legally carry guns with them almost anywhere.
Private gun ownership for hunting isn’t new for Iowans, the article stated. However, officials around the nation are confused as to how this strange loophole came to exist. Polk County officials said they issued weapons permits to at least three people who couldn’t legally drive; were unable to read the application forms; or had difficulty reading the forms due to visual impairment.
The issue is straight out of a Seth-and-Amy “Saturday Night Live” segment. Clearly, it’s worrisome to consider that somewhere, a person who can barely fill out the necessary paperwork is receiving a permit to carry a gun to the feed store, or wherever people hang out in corn country.
According to the article in The Register, the Gun Control Act of 1968 and other federal laws don’t explicitly prohibit blind people from owning guns — so what makes Iowa different?
Many other states have enacted laws that detail specific requirements for blind persons seeking guns and gun permits.
According to The Register, for example, Nebraskan applicants who seek permits to legally carry a concealed handgun must provide “proof of vision”: either a valid state driver’s license or a statement by an eye doctor that the individual meets vision requirements set for a typical vehicle operator’s license.
Patrick Clancy, superintendent of the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School, was ambivalent when he spoke to The Register. On one hand, he said he believed guns may be the exception to the philosophy that blind people can participate fully in life. On the other hand, he told The Register that the range of sight among people who are classified as legally blind varies significantly — and there may be situations where such applicants can safely handle a gun.
Cedar County Sheriff Warren Wethington, who happens to have a blind daughter, demonstrated for The Register how blind people could be taught to shoot guns. In addition, Jane Hudson, executive director of Disability Rights Iowa, said blocking persons with visual impairment from obtaining gun permits violates the Americans with Disabilities Act — the law prohibits different treatment based on a person’s physical disabilities.
“The fact that you can’t drive a car doesn’t mean you can’t go to a shooting range and see a target,” Hudson told The Register.
Blindness and visual impairment come in many different shades. Someone who’s classified as legally blind may not see only blackness, for example. However, like many other states — including our own “Gunshine State” — Iowa could stand some firearm law policy changes.
A version of this editorial ran on page 6 on 9/10/2013 under the headline "Blind Item: Iowa grants guns to visually impaired"
