For many Iowa families, hunting, firearm ownership, and participation in shooting sports are family traditions, but a newly proposed gun law that would make it legal for young Iowans to use handguns is causing some concern in the Iowa House of Representatives.

The bill, which was introduced Jan. 15 and proposes to lower the legal age at which a minor can use a handgun with adult supervision, has opponents of the measure concerned about a possible increase in gun-related accidents as a result of the bill. But backers of the measure say it will help allow kids to learn to be safe with guns at a younger age.

Current Iowa law allows children between the ages of 14 and 20 to operate handguns while under adult supervision or during firearms safety training. The proposal, which cleared the House Public Safety Committee but has not yet reached the floor of the chamber, would lower the minimum age to 12.

The age at which an individual can purchase a handgun in Iowa, 21, would remain unchanged. 

— by Matt Starns