Pals said the new law is working “as well as allowed."“There’s a lot of people that if you knew everybody’s background you’d be really surprised that they can carry a weapon,” he said, “because they have a very questionable past both in terms of law enforcement contacts and things like that.”Pals challenged one permit application in the last year and lost in a state ruling.“So I don’t challenge any more now. Everybody gets them if you qualify, no questions asked,” he said. “You can have 100 involvements with law enforcement in a month or a year or two years and it doesn’t matter.“Come and get your weapons permit; carry a gun like everybody else.”
First of all, and most importantly, if he has information that someone should not receive a permit for some reason and he does not challange the application, then he is derelict in his duties and is responsible for any outcome of his inaction. Instead of throwing his hands in the air and not challenging any applications, perhaps he simply needs to understand what can be challanged and what cannot. It's a very easy concept. What's really happening most likely is that Sheriff Pals tried to block the issuance of a permit based on his old standards, which didn't work. So like Sheriff Pulkrabek in Johnson County, Sheriff Pals is crying sour grapes and making it sound like Cerro Gordo County is going to be overrun with people carrying firearms that shouldn't be.
His statement of "Come and get your weapons permit; carry a gun like everybody else" is snarky and full of contempt for reality. He apparently fails to understand that criminals already carry guns with total disregard for the permit systems. The law-abiding folks in his county simply want to do the right thing, pay their $50, and get a permit. For that, he should be thankful. The vast majority of those who have come into his office to get an Iowa Permit to Carry Weapons are the good guys that will be there to back up Sheriff Pals, his deputies, and other law enforcement officers in Cerro Gordo County if they find themselves in a jam. Citizens carrying firearms have come to the aid of law enforcement officers on multiple occasions, and more than one LEO owes his life to a private citizen who decided to do the right thing.
The dire consequences predicted by the naysayers of shall issue did not materialize in 2011. They will not materialize in 2012, 2013, or any other year that follows. Iowa has joined the ranks of 80% of the country in recognizing that citizens who carry firearms in public for self-defense are not a threat to law enforcement, public safety, or any other concept of civilization. In fact, some states recognize this is an absolute right and have done away with a permit system completely. South Dakota is the latest state, and the closest to Iowa, to be considering such a move. A permitless system has been proposed in Iowa previously, and a bill to do that is still alive in the House.
Sheriff Pals and those with his mindset need to understand that carrying a firearm is not in itself an act of violence or a threat to public safety. It is only when that firearm is used recklessly, threateningly, or in a manner that injures or kills someone accidentally or with no justification that a problem exists. He is unfairly creating an image that everyone in Cerro Gordo County will be carrying a firearm which would be a bad thing, playing up to emotions rather than using facts.
Then again, that's what anti-gun and anti-rights advocates do best.
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