Iowa Town Chips Away at the 2nd Amendment

Nosy neighbors have instigated a stealth attack the 2nd Amendment through zoning laws.  The city council of Ames, Iowa, voted unanimously to ban home-based businesses from selling firearms.

The hearing took place because some neighbors, a married couple,  were unhappy that an Ames man operated a business selling firearms from his home, according to an article in the Ames Tribune.

The hearing stems from a permit that was granted, with various conditions, in April by the Ames Zoning Board of Adjustment. The board approved the permit after it determined home gun sales were not explicitly prohibited under the ordinance. “The application was treated as any other retail request,” according to the council action form.

After the approval, two residents in the neighborhood of the permit holder made a formal request to the city to add gun sales to the list of prohibited home occupations.

The current prohibited home occupations are animal hospitals, dancing studios or exercise studios, private clubs, restaurants, stables and kennels, and repair or painting of motor vehicles, including motorcycles.

Ammoland.com has reported that the Iowa Firearms Coalition has geared up for battle.

Iowa Firearms Coalition, the state NRA Affiliate Club, opposes this proposed ban and believes that it violates both the Second Amendment and property rights of Ames residents. This amendment to existing City Code on Home Occupations would arbitrarily discriminate against a legitimate and low-profile business, based on emotional opposition to its legal retail products and not on real nuisance or safety concerns. This follows the earlier egregious anti-gun actions of the ZBA, which granted the permit for one year only and with a laundry list of onerous conditions that revealed an obvious attempt to impose local gun control measures on law-abiding citizens.

The Board’s conditions included;

1) the business operate only by appointment during specific restricted hours, 2) that the address of the business not be listed in advertising, 3) that no ammunition sales be permitted as part of the business, 4) that proof of federal firearms licensing be provided, and 5) that the City be able to monitor appointment logs and gun transfers upon request.

It’s important to note that this amendment doesn’t seek to ban all firearms sales in homes as some have errantly reported. Nonetheless, it is a clear attack on Second Amendment rights that we will not allow to go unchallenged.

The Coalition has started an action group on Facebook to garner support against this threat to the right to bear arms.