In spite of a delay due to an error by the Iowa Secretary of State’s office, a proposed amendment to the state constitution reaffirming the right to bear arms is expected to pass; and State Rep. Jon Thorup says he’s not opposed to the idea.

Voters would be asked in 2020 to approve the amendment which confirms the right to possess firearms by state residents; the legislation putting it on the ballot passed in both the Iowa House and Senate, but Republican Secretary of State Paul Pate says his office failed to publish the proper notice due to an administrative oversight.

Thorup says it will have to be re-approved by both chambers, and he believes this will happen; he tells KNIA/KRLS News one potential concern for whether authorities will be able to intervene with someone who should not be allowed to have firearms shouldn’t be a problem.

“Things are a little bit different in Iowa than they are in say New York or California. We definitely have risks here; I don’t want to indicate that everybody should be armed…there are folks that I think we’d all feel better and all sleep a lot better if we know that they don’t have firearms. But I don’t see this having a huge effect on that,” Thorup says.

Thorup says some technical issues concerning how or whether authorities can intervene may emerge, which would be for the courts to interpret.