So on 1-1-11, Iowa became shall issue, having not been present in any of my previous states of residence when the change took place I can't relate to what happened then but some of what's happening know is just ridiculous.
1: Sheriffs requiring instructors to verify their credentials - turning down apps until those credentials are proven and not being willing to verify them via the NRA Instructor Website. Really? Come on, they were even giving your their ID and zip code so you could log in and verify their creds.
2: "There's a 30 day waiting period" BS, state law says you have 30 days to issue or deny a permit or the person is able to carry, that's not a waiting period, that's a grace period for issuing authorities to have some breathing room if they get swamped or to keep some from dragging their feet on the issuance. So what does this one particular Sheriff's Office (SO) do? Calls it a waiting period and stone walls the applicants for the whole 30 days (Or rather has implied as such), gee Sheriff, that's really mature now isn't it. Why not stick your tongue out at them as they're walking out the door?
3: Petty complaints from "our side" as well. "They are only accepting application on these days at certain hours"...boo hoo. Guess what, they're not Seven Eleven and have other jobs to do other than issue you a permit. Maybe they are doing this to reduce back log and get people permits to them in a more timely manner by having a buffer to run all the NICs checks? You're going to get your permit, chill out.
4: On the topic of training certificates, one SO is requiring all certificates to have some sort of reference to "Handgun Training" on them, this one is somewhat palatable as the law does specify in part that applicants need to have gone through "handgun training" but seriously? Tel me you're not trying to be a jerk.
There's other instances of "wrong doing" I'm not going to list them all as it's nearing the end of the day for me.
Most of these instances are counties not known for fair issuance practices prior to 1-1-11 so is it any real surprise that they're being jerks about it now?
On a happier note, my Sheriff who was not fond of carry was very pleasant to deal with this morning and while I overheard him on the phone with an applicant discussing training I gave him some cards for my NRA Classes and he even asked if I had a flier to for them to post at the SO. This is a big change from when I talked to him prior to moving to Iowa. I for one am kind of proud of him as I know how he feels about carry but is not making waves and is complying with state law without being a burden to the people.
My new permit should be in the mail box by the end of the week, my SO had a little bit of a wait time as they apparently got swamped yesterday. As it's a smaller department, the dispatcher is the one doing the permits as there is not a dedicated admin staff and it's fine with me if I have to wait a while, she has more important things to do like dispatching police, fire and EMS to their calls.
On a side note, if you're looking for a good belt, check out the 5.11 Casual belt, I all ready had one in 1.75" for my competition holster and liked it so much that I bought two 1.5"ers for carry, one brown and one black. Not a bad belt if you ask me.
Just an FYI: Sheriff Tony Thompson in Black Hawk County has been a pleasure to work with, as has his staff.
ReplyDeleteFolks need to be understanding because, as you said, these people have more to do than just issue weapons permits.