A bill that would no longer require Iowans to get permits to carry a concealed weapon has made it past initial review in the Iowa House and is scheduled for committee action today. Representative Steven Holt, a Republican from Denison, says it means Iowans would no longer have to get a permission slip for something that’s a constitutional right.

Leslie Carpenter of Iowa Mental Health Advocacy says making it easier to get a weapon quickly is the wrong move in a pandemic when mental health problems have escalated.

Representative Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, a Democrat from Ames, says the bill will be a deterrent to efforts to attract new businesses and new workers to Iowa.

A similar bill is scheduled for a subcommittee hearing in the Iowa SENATE today (Tuesday).