[nfbwatlk] FW: [Wcb-l] Blind People now can pack guns in Iowa

[Mike Freeman]

From: Wcb-l [mailto:wcb-l-bounces at wcbinfo.org] On Behalf Of Vivian Conger
Sent: Monday, September 09, 2013 12:03 PM
To: 'wcb'
Subject: [Wcb-l] Blind People now can pack guns in Iowa

 

FYI -

 

 

Vivian and Barbee (That's Barbee with 2 E's)

blazie.girl at gmail.com

 

  

    Iowa now allows visually impaired citizens to carry guns legally
By Robert Kingett, disability reporter.


Robert Kingett is a blind journalist in Chicago who covers anything and
everything disability, including sports, human-interest stories, and
advocacy reports. He was ranked as top disability journalist by the
staffin august. To have Robert cover your disability event or story,
please visit his website. www.robertkingett.com
<http://www.robertkingett.com/> 

Sep 8, 2013 - 6 hours ago in Politics
+
Iowa - Recently a state law was passed that would allow blind and
visually impaired people in Iowa to carry firearms. Residents and
advocacy agents have varying opinions on the issue.
No one questions the legality of the permits. State law does not allow
sheriffs to deny an Iowan the right to carry a weapon based on physical
ability.
The quandary centers squarely on public safety. Advocates for the
disabled and Iowa law enforcement officers disagree over whether it's a
good idea for visually disabled Iowans to have weapons.
On one side: People such as Cedar County Sheriff Warren Wethington, who
demonstrated for this report how blind people can be taught to shoot
guns. And Jane Hudson, executive director of Disability Rights Iowa, who
says blocking visually impaired people from the right to obtain weapon
permits would violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. That federal
law generally prohibits different treatment based on disabilities.
On the other side: People such as Dubuque County Sheriff Don Vrotsos,
who said he wouldn't issue a permit to someone who is blind. And Patrick
Clancy, superintendent of the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School, who
says guns may be a rare exception to his philosophy that blind people
can participate fully in life.
Private gun ownership - even hunting - by visually impaired Iowans is
nothing new. But the practice of visually impaired residents legally
carrying firearms in public became widely possible thanks to gun permit
changes that took effect in Iowa in 2011.
"It seems a little strange, but the way the law reads, we can't deny
them (a permit) just based on that one thing," said Sgt. Jana Abens, a
spokeswoman for the Polk County sheriff's office, referring to a visual
disability.
Polk County officials say they've issued weapons permits to at least
three people who can't legally drive and were unable to read the
application forms or had difficulty doing so because of visual impairments.
And sheriffs in three other counties - Jasper, Kossuth and Delaware -
say they have granted permits to residents who they believe have severe
visual impairments.
"I'm not an expert in vision," Delaware Sheriff John LeClere said. "At
what point do vision problems have a detrimental effect to fire a
firearm? If you see nothing but a blurry mass in front of you, then I
would say you probably shouldn't be shooting

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