IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - Iowa’s public universities would not be allowed to ban stun guns on campus under a bill approved by Legislature and awaiting the governor’s signature.
Bill supporter Rep. Matt Windschitl said it comes in response to some schools in Iowa prohibiting stun guns on their campuses despite a law passed in 2017 that allows people over age 18 to carry the weapons, the Iowa City Press-Citizen reported.
A father worked with his local senator to draft this year’s measure after realizing his daughters wouldn’t have the option of carrying a stun gun on campus.
The bill would help avert sexual violence and keep students safe, Windschitl said.
The Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault disputed that. Matty Smith, a communications specialist for the Des Moines-based coalition, said there are several reasons the organization believes the proposal wouldn’t work.
“A majority of sexual assaults are committed by someone who is known to the perpetrator. It’s not this idea of a stranger jumping out from behind the bushes and trying to assault someone,” said Smith. “It is acquaintances and people who go to class together.”
Roughly eight out of 10 rape cases involve circumstances where the victim knew the offender, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
The bill also puts the onus back on the victim when focus should instead be on predators, Smith added.
Windschitl noted the measure would prohibit convicted felons from having stun guns on campuses and ban stun guns from Iowa’s sport arenas and facilities.
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Information from: Iowa City Press-Citizen, http://www.press-citizen.com/
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