On Wednesday, The Daily posted an article in the Opinion section titled, “New Iowa firearm laws miss the mark”. The article attempted to influence public opinion into hating the gun reform bills proposed by Rep. Matt Windschitl. But there were a lot of problems with this article.

First, the author started off the article by admitting to being very biased against guns because of their upbringing.

Secondly, the author referred to the fact that the gun reform bills would make the list of Iowa gun owners, which is currently public, private. She stated that the list should be kept public to “see if they were that kind of threat …” That whole argument was very offensive as it makes gun owners perceived to all be violent, dangerous people. Iowan gun owners should have privacy rights and not have to fear about being denied a job or any other opportunity because they own a gun legally.

Another part of the bill would eliminate the age requirement that a child must meet in order for their parent or legal guardian to teach them how to safely handle a firearm. Currently, Iowa law states that a child must be at least 14 years of age for their parent or guardian to take them shooting at a shooting range while under their direct supervision. The proposed bill would eliminate that age requirement. The author of the article stated that Rep. Windschitl was a “numb skull” and “idiotic” for proposing that. That is rude, disrespectful and unnecessary. And I believe parents should have the right to teach their children how to properly and safely handle a firearm. Most people will come in contact with a gun in some way at some point in their lifetime and should know gun safety and how to properly handle a firearm, according to columbuspolice.org. This will lead to fewer accidents.

Overall, while I respect the author for voicing her concerns and commend her on exercising her right to freedom of speech, I found the article to be offensive, inaccurate and misleading. I would just like everyone to do their own research from third party, non-biased sources to help make an informed opinion on the proposed gun bill that passed the Iowa House with Republican and Democrat support.