The Republican-led Iowa Legislature has again endorsed a proposed gun rights amendment to Iowa’s constitution. Senator Brad Zaun, a Republican from Urbandale, says the amendment’s “strong language” is necessary.

Senator Tony Bisignano, a Democrat from Des Moines, was among those who suggested that if voters approve the amendment, it could lead to the repeal of current gun-related laws.

Legislators had discussed this same proposal before and had hoped to place the issue before voters in 2020, but the Secretary of State failed to meet a publishing deadline last fall, so the process has been restarted. 2022 is the earliest Iowa voters could decide whether to add the amendment to the state constitution.

The Senate approved the gun-rights proposal on a 33-to-16 vote. The HOUSE took up the issue, too, and passed it by a narrower, 53-to-46 margin.