116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Iowa GOP lawmakers again push bills allowing guns in school, college parking lots
Republican lawmakers advance bills to permit firearms in vehicles on school grounds and roll back some state carry restrictions, drawing sharp opposition from educators and Democrats
Feb. 17, 2026 6:01 pm, Updated: Feb. 18, 2026 7:44 am
The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
DES MOINES — After failed attempts in previous years, Iowa Republican state lawmakers again pushed forward legislation Tuesday that would loosen state gun restrictions, including allowing gun owners to have firearms in their vehicles on school and college grounds.
The proposals also would roll back parts of Iowa law that bar certain people from legally carrying firearms — changes that supporters described as overdue “code cleanup” after Iowa adopted permitless carry. Critics warned the bills could expand access to firearms in places and situations they consider high-risk, particularly school parking lots and college campuses.
Lone Democrats on the three-member subcommittees opposed the measures, which now head to the full Senate Judiciary Committee and House Education Committee.
Guns in vehicles on school and college grounds
Anyone legally allowed to carry a firearm would be allowed to keep a weapon in their locked vehicle in the parking lots of schools, public universities, community colleges and other lots operated by the state, counties or cities, under Senate File 2263.
The bill prohibits Iowa’s community colleges and regents universities from enforcing policies that bar dangerous weapons on campus grounds when the weapons are locked in a personal vehicle.
School and higher-education groups raised practical and safety concerns during subcommittee testimony.
Emily Piper, representing the Iowa Association of School Boards, has the group has “real concerns” about allowing firearms in school parking lots and on sidewalks and driveways. She questioned enforcement, asking “who’s policing all of this?” and warned of potential dangers if, for example, someone attending a game “forgets” and takes a gun into a school building or athletic facility. Piper said she is “much more comfortable” with the narrower House proposal limiting firearms to permitted drop-off and pickup situations where the weapon stays concealed in a vehicle.
Melissa Peterson, with the Iowa State Education Association, echoed those concerns.
“We don't think we're going to make things safer by permitting weapons, quite frankly, in areas we consider to be high-tension areas, which includes parking lots of a school district, for example,” Peterson told lawmakers.
Jillian Carlson, on behalf of the Iowa Board of Regents, urged lawmakers to remove the provision allowing students to keep dangerous weapons in vehicles on university property, citing concerns about theft from vehicles that can be left unattended for long periods and concerns about areas like hospital parking lots and tailgating locations.
Gun-rights advocates argued the bill would eliminate what they called “phony no gun zones” — places where firearms are prohibited but security screening and armed personnel are not comprehensive.
Richard Rogers, a lobbyist with the Iowa Firearms Coalition, said the current rules can force lawful gun owners to repeatedly unload and re-holster firearms when they need to visit schools, increasing what he called “administrative handling” and the risk of negligent discharge. He also said many Iowans either don’t know they are violating the law or assume they won’t be caught, turning otherwise law-abiding people into felons.
“It's well documented that many twisted souls who aspire to mass murders deliberately target such places, expecting that they will face no armed resistance,” Rogers said. “The phrase shooting fish in a barrel is apropos here. Such rules serve only to disarm honest citizens whose compliance often forces them to forego having their normal personal defensive tools available from the time they leave home until they return.”
Connie Ryan, executive director of the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa Action Fund, countered that school parking lots are already among the most common settings for shootings on school grounds and said expanding legal firearm access there increases the risk.
Sen. Cherielynn Westrich, R-Ottumwa, said she supported the bill, arguing responsible gun owners should not be disarmed in places where “outlaws” may expect others to be unarmed.
“Where guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns,” Westrich said, adding the bill “allows that responsible gun owner to act in a responsible way without being infringed.”
State Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, opposed the bill, echoing concerns from education groups that school shootings have increased and that parking lots can be flashpoints for conflict. He also criticized a provision granting schools immunity from lawsuits for damages, saying victims could be left without recourse.
“This is not a venue where we want to see more people having more guns,” he said.
Sen. Jason Schultz, R-Schleswig, who chaired the Senate subcommittee, said he supported the bill but voiced concern about storing guns in unattended vehicles on regent campuses, while arguing the measure is aimed at allowing lawful Iowans to go about their day without being forced to disarm.
House bill would allow school drop-off, pickup with gun in the car
A separate proposal, House File 621, would allow a person to carry a handgun in a car if dropping off or picking up a student, staff member or other person at a school.
Under existing law, individuals generally are prohibited from carrying or transporting firearms on school grounds. The bill creates an exception allowing a person with a valid permit to carry weapons to have a concealed pistol or revolver on school property while dropping off or picking up a student, staff member or other person with school business, or while making a delivery or pickup. The firearm must remain inside the person’s vehicle, the vehicle must stay in school driveways or parking areas, and it must be locked when unattended.
The bill also allows a school district or private school to authorize someone to carry, transport or possess a firearm or ammunition in a school vehicle. Supporters said the provision is related to a 2024 law that created a new state permitting process for school employees to carry firearms on school grounds and granted districts and staff legal immunity from criminal or civil liability for damages resulting from the reasonable use of force.
Rep. Heather Matson, D-Ankeny, opposed the measure and objected to lobbyist Rogers’ use of the phrase “phony no gun zones,” calling it “somewhat offensive” to those who believe gun-free zones are meant to protect people.
“We may have different opinions,” she said, “but I don’t think that language is particularly helpful.”
Rep. Jeff Shipley, R-Birmingham, the House subcommittee chair, framed the bill as preventing “law-abiding” parents from unknowingly committing felonies for what he called a “victimless crime” — having a firearm in a vehicle while briefly dropping off or picking up a student.
Iowans previously ineligible to carry firearms would be allowed to possess or acquire them
A third proposal, Senate File 2257, would repeal parts of Iowa law that currently make it a crime for certain people to carry dangerous weapons, including those “addicted to alcohol,” and those where there is probable cause to believe they’re a danger to themselves or others.
Rogers told senators the legislation is meant to fix errors and inconsistencies left after Iowa enacted permitless carry in 2021 and recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings that have significantly expanded Second Amendment protections.
When gun permits were required, a person addicted to alcohol could not qualify for a permit. However, there was no standard for what addicted to alcohol meant, leading to subjective judgments, Rogers argued. He raised similar concerns to the provision in Iowa law allowing sheriffs to deny a gun permit to individuals they believe are a danger to themselves and others.
Opponents argued the provisions targeted by the bill can be applied objectively in practice. Quirmbach said indicators such as hospitalization for alcoholism, repeated alcohol-related arrests or other documented conduct could support determinations and warned that removing restrictions could open the door to increased violence.
Supporters also pointed to federal prohibitions. Nicholas Buggia, speaking on behalf of the National Rifle Association, said legitimate firearm restrictions should go through due process and that federal disqualifiers already bar gun possession for categories such as certain criminal convictions and controlled-substance issues.
Westrich described the bill as “code cleanup” aimed at honoring current law, while Schultz said the bill updates Iowa’s code to fit the state’s current “paradigm” and argued there was no evidence the existing language was preventing harm.
The three measures now move forward for possible consideration by full committees as lawmakers race toward Friday’s legislative “funnel” deadline.
Comments: (319) 398-8499; tom.barton@thegazette.com
Daily Newsletters