Iowa is granting permits to acquire or carry guns in public to people who are legally or completely blind.
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.
[sadly, the relevant link is not an Onion article]
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/...
Huh. I wonder what the "pro let blind people engage in firefights in public" argument might be? Well, I guess they can fire in the general direction in which the sound of fire is coming. I mean, what harm could here be in that?
On one side: People such as Cedar County Sheriff Warren Wethington, who demonstrated for the Register how blind people can be taught to shoot guns.
Oh, I have no doubt they can learn to shoot firearms. Not really the issue, is it? No, but when you're trying to create a state full of potential Wolverines!, you can't be concern yourself with minor things like, you know, the issues.
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.
Of course! Much like Delta refusing to hire blind pilots for its Boeings and Airbuses is a blatant violation of the ADA, right? Or... not...
“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 something.”
Probably? Hey, don't go out on a limb there, John.
“If sheriffs spent more time trying to keep guns out of criminals’ hands and not people with disabilities, their time would be more productive,” Wethington told the Register as he and his daughter took turns practice shooting with a semi-automatic handgun on private property in rural Cedar County.
But I suppose Sheriffs spending a lot of time trying to arm blind people is an excellent allocation of valuable time?
Iowa requires training for anyone who is issued a permit to carry a weapon in public, but that requirement can be satisfied through an online course that does not include any hands-on instruction or a shooting test.
Oh, excellent. I wonder if they do the same for licensing surgeons? Probably only for blind surgeons ('cause, you know, the ADA says you can't discriminate that way, amirite?).
Hey, I get it. Slippery slope and all that. Today, it's not letting blind people pack heat. Next thing you know, they'll be rounding us all up and putting us in camps. That's exactly how it went down in Nazi Germany!
Or... something...