Bill would give county attorneys professional gun permits

DES MOINES — A bill under consideration in the legislature would let county attorneys apply for professional weapons permits, so they could carry guns in most places where guns are banned.

Assistant Polk County Attorney Bret Lucas helped draft the bill. He’s gotten death threats because of his work on criminal cases.

“Sure, some of those are idle threats. It’s venting, things like that, but every now and then you come across an individual that truly causes you concern,” he says.

The bill, which has cleared a Senate subcommittee, would require county attorneys to undergo the same training and testing as others who have these permits.

“For a professional permit, you do have to train every year and you have to qualify every year,” says Susan Cameron Daemon, a lobbyist for the Iowa State Sheriffs and Deputies Association. “And We believe others that get that professional permit should be at the same standard.”

There are several other gun-related proposals under consideration at the statehouse, including a bill that would allow paramedics working with SWAT teams to apply for professional weapon permits. Another would prevent businesses from telling employees with a concealed weapons permit they can’t have a gun in their car or truck in the parking lot at their work site.