In Iowa, as in all of the states that I know of, the Sheriff is an elected official. And, the Sheriff is elected to enforce the laws of the community that he represents. By and large, these Sheriffs do an outstanding job of enforcing the law, staying within a budget, keeping the rank and file deputies (for the most part) happy, and all the while keeping the politicos off their backs.
Enforcing the law is a primary job of our Sheriffs. We depend on them to take the laws that our legislators hand down and ensure that they are obeyed, in an even and unbiased manner.
When things go awry, though, is when a Sheriff proactively feeds into the FUD generated by media hysteria and Pollyanna business leaders who believe that firearms-free zones, defined by a sign hanging on the front door of a business, is a declaration of safety. In this case, it is the Sheriff of Humboldt County, Iowa.
According to reports that I have received from business owners in the city of Humboldt, Sheriff Dean Kruger has been going to businesses in town asking if they wanted to post their businesses as “No Firearms Allowed” - complete with signs in hand, available for the asking.
One can only speculate that Sheriff Kruger was certainly not advising the good business owners that a sign on the door really does the following:
- It tells prospective customers that unlike our state and federal governments, the business owner believes that prospective customers cannot be trusted with firearms.
- It tells prospective customers that in the event of any life-threatening emergency, when Sheriff Kruger's staff is likely minutes away, tools that would otherwise be available for split-second, life-saving decisions are prohibited, thus ensuring that the prospective customer's life is not really a concern of the shop owner.
- It tells prospective criminals that none of the good people in society who obey polite requests to leave their firearms at home (or in the car – a great place to leave a firearm unsecured) will be able to stand up to any of the malfeasance that they would desire to carry out in the shop.
Instead, Sheriff Kruger was probably making sure that business owners were made aware that there would be a huge increase in the number of firearms being carried around by citizens, now that he was unable to deny anyone just because he felt like it. He probably also made sure the shop owners knew that some of them might be (gasp!) carrying their firearms openly, instead of concealed. Because of all of this change, if the shop owner was feeling scared and wanted to keep these rabble-rousers out, he had signs right here that the shop owner could post and make their little store a more pleasant, safe environment for shoppers.
He probably also neglected to tell these business owners that prior to 1/1/11, there were already people coming into their shops carrying firearms. Iowa did not go from no-issue to shall-issue. It went from may-issue to shall-issue, and a lot of Sheriffs around the state were freely issuing permits already.
Citizens of Humboldt County should be happy that Sheriff Kruger is concerned for their safety, but is this really the best use of the Sheriff's time? And their tax money? The Sheriff is just adding to the mass hysteria and giving these shop owners a false sense of security.
The fact of the matter is the “No Firearms Allowed” signs do not carry the force of law in Iowa. The very worst thing that will happen is that a customer will be guilty of simple trespassing IF the customer is asked to leave, IF the customer refuses, IF the shop owner calls the police, and IF the customer still refuses to leave.
Sheriff Kruger is not the first law enforcement leader in Iowa to go down this path. Huxley Police Chief Mark Pote did the same thing earlier this month in his town. WHO-TV interviewed Chief Pote about his actions, and managed to catch him backpedaling somewhat when put on camera.
Perhaps we need to send a memo out to the public saying: “Dear criminals – Humboldt and Huxley are places that law enforcement will be the only resistance you have on Main Street. Come on down!”
It would be fantastic to see our law enforcement leaders stop acting like the sky is falling over the change from may-issue to shall-issue. Most have accepted the change and are moving forward. It's unfortunate that some are just not willing to let the past die the death that it deserves by whipping up public frenzy about it.
In the meantime, if you want to see a list of anti-gun businesses in Iowa, check out the "Anti-Gun Business" page over at the Iowa Firearms Coalition website.
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