Never too young: Iowa house passes bill to let children of all ages handle guns

‘We do not need a militia of toddlers,’ says lawmaker of draft law allowing under-
14s to have ‘a pistol, revolver or the ammunition’ under parental supervision

Ellen Brait in New York
Thursday 25 February 2016 18.28 GMT

A bill that allows children of all ages to handle guns passed Iowa’s house of representatives on Tuesday.

Approved by a 62-36 vote, the bill permits children under the age of 14 to have “a pistol, revolver or the ammunition” while under parental supervision. The bill will now head to the state senate.

“It’s our impression that most, and probably all, states allow minors to possess firearms with parental supervision,” Allison Anderman, staff attorney for the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said. “If there are age limitations on possession with parental supervision, they vary by state.”

State representative Kirsten Running-Marquardt, who opposes the bill, said it “allows for one-year-olds, two-year-olds, three-year-olds, four-year-olds to operate handguns”, according to CBS-affiliate KCCI. She added: “We do not need a militia of toddlers.”

Currently in Iowa, children can legally use long guns and shotguns under adult supervision but not handguns. This bill would change that, allowing the use of handguns as long as parents are 21 years old and maintain “visual and verbal contact at all times with the supervised person”. Children would still not be able to purchase firearms on their own.

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