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Iowa issues gun permits to blind people, report says

File photo shows a man firing an AK-47 assault rifle at a shooting range.
(Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
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If you’re blind and living in Iowa, you can’t get a driver’s license -- but you might be able to get a gun.

An interesting report in the Des Moines Register over the weekend delved into an unusual gray area in the state’s gun policies, which have allowed some blind residents to get concealed-carry permits.

Under state law, Iowans must file applications with their local sheriff’s department to get licenses for acquiring handguns and for carrying weapons in public.

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The permit to carry weapons requires a handgun-training course -- which can be completed online, the Register reports, allowing blind Iowans leeway to legally carry without passing a shooting test.

Compare that with Iowa’s rules on driving, which require passing a vision test or submitting a vision report from a physician or optometrist to get a driver’s license.

It’s not really clear how many blind Iowans have guns, because officials keep no such records.

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“It seems a little strange, but the way the law reads, we can’t deny them [a permit] just based on that one thing,” Sgt. Jana Abens, a spokeswoman for the Polk County sheriff’s office, told the Register.

A debate has ensued over the balance between liberty for all discrimination and public safety. You can read more about it here.

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