In light of the two mass shootings that have transpired over the past week and a half, some may be wondering about Iowa’s gun laws. With the new handgun bill looming in Iowa, this is a hot-button topic at the moment. Does Iowa have proper gun safety laws? With mass shootings on the rise yet again, it would be more than reasonable for Iowans, and every American for that matter, to have these concerns.

These concerns are now even more validated with the events going on in the Iowa Senate at this time. On Monday, the Iowa Senate passed a bill that would permit Iowans to purchase and carry handguns without a permit. In a 31 (Republican) to 17 (Democrat) vote, the bill is now headed to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk. And since the Iowa House passed this legislation last week, Reynolds is expected to sign the bill into law this coming Monday.

Iowa currently has a few gun laws in the books. For example, an individual must carry a permit to carry weapons within city limits as long as they aren’t loaded, but not outside city limits. An individual must also be at least 21 years of age for a nonprofessional permit and at least 18 for a professional permit. Concealed carry permits are also offered to Iowans who already have a permit to carry and require firearms training. As for purchasing a gun, no permit is required except for a shotgun or rifle. A permit is required, however, to purchase a handgun, at least until next Monday when our governor and her infinite wisdom signs this law away.

We just had a hate crime mass shooting in Atlanta last week that killed eight people in a spa. As lawmakers started sending their deepest sympathies and prayers to the victims and their families as they always do, we see another massacre just six days later. On Monday, there was a mass shooting in Boulder, Colorado, that killed 10 people, including a police officer at a local grocery store.

Suffice to say, these atrocities aren’t sporadic anymore. It just begs the question: Is it inappropriate for the Republicans of Iowa to be considering this bill? It seems that there are better things Iowa lawmakers could be doing with their time. Maybe start by making it so every gun purchase requires a permit to carry with proof of a background check, for example. Iowans deserve better than what we are getting as far as safety goes.