Wait, What? Iowa Issues Public Gun Permits For Blind People Who Say “I Don’t Think Eyesight Is Necessary To Point And Shoot”

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Iowa Approves Public Gun Permits For Blind People

In conjunction with an amendment added to Iowa’s gun laws back in 2011, the state has now began issuing gun permits to blind people, allowing them to carry their firearms in public.

via Huffington Post

In a move sure to leave gun safety advocates scratching their heads, Iowa is issuing gun permits to the blind.

The permits allow legally blind applicants to purchase weapons and carry them in public. Per state law, any attempt to deny an Iowan these rights based on physical ability would be illegal, reports the Des Moines Register.

“When you shoot a gun, you take it out and point and shoot, and I don’t necessarily think eyesight is necessary,” said Michael Barber, a blind man interviewed by The Register at a gun store in Iowa last month.

Explains Delaware County Sheriff John LeClere, “If you see nothing but a blurry mass in front of you, then I would say you probably shouldn’t be shooting something.”

Counters Cedar County Sheriff Warren Wethington, who has a legally blind daughter, “If sheriffs spent more time trying to keep guns out of criminals’ hands and not people with disabilities, their time would be more productive.”

Iowans have always been able to carry a firearm in private, but a new law passed in 2011 extends that right to the public sphere while placing no limits on physical ability.

While we certainly agree that it’s never okay to discriminate against another person or limit them because of a disability, this just sounds plain ridiculous.

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