Maybe They Should Be Able To get Driver's Licenses Too....

[Lord Jim]

Iowa grants gun permits to the blind

No one questions the legality of the permits, but some officials worry about public safety.

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Here's some news that has law enforcement officials and lawmakers scratching their heads:

Iowa is granting permits to acquire or carry guns in public to people who are legally or completely blind.

No one questions the legality of the permits. State law does not allow sheriffs to deny an Iowan the right to carry a weapon based on physical ability.

The quandary centers squarely on public safety. Advocates for the disabled and Iowa law enforcement officers disagree over whether it's a good idea for visually disabled Iowans to have weapons.

On one side: People such as Cedar County Sheriff Warren Wethington, who demonstrated for The Des Moines Register how blind people can be taught to shoot guns. And Jane Hudson, executive director of Disability Rights Iowa, who says blocking visually impaired people from the right to obtain weapon permits would violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. That federal law generally prohibits different treatment based on disabilities

On the other side: People such as Dubuque County Sheriff Don Vrotsos, who said he wouldn't issue a permit to someone who is blind. And Patrick Clancy, superintendent of the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School, who says guns may be a rare exception to his philosophy that blind people can participate fully in life.

Private gun ownership — even hunting — by visually impaired Iowans is nothing new. But the practice of visually impaired residents legally carrying firearms in public became widely possible thanks to gun permit changes that took effect in Iowa in 2011.

"It seems a little strange, but the way the law reads we can't deny them (a permit) just based on that one thing," said Sgt. Jana Abens, a spokeswoman for the Polk County Sheriff's Department, referring to a visual disability.

Polk County officials say they've issued weapons permits to at least three people who can't legally drive and were unable to read the application forms or had difficulty doing so because of visual impairments.

And sheriffs in three other counties — Jasper, Kossuth and Delaware — say they have granted permits to residents who they believe have severe visual impairments.

"I'm not an expert in vision," Delaware County Sheriff John LeClere said. "At what point do vision problems have a detrimental effect to fire a firearm? If you see nothing but a blurry mass in front of you, then I would say you probably shouldn't be shooting something."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nati ... d/2780303/

[Joe Guy]

What's the concern?

Do they think the visually impaired are going to run around shooting at people and things all day?

[MajGenl.Meade]

...well, not and intentionally hit particular people or things.

[PMS Princess]

What's the concern?

Do they think the visually impaired are going to run around shooting at people and things all day?

That made me think about parties that have a pinata and they spin you around while blindfolded, point you in the right direction, hand you a baseball bat and tell you to start swinging! Then I get the thought, "Hmmm...guess they wouldn't go for that at the practice range."

[Lord Jim]

Yeah, I doubt that they're going to introduce "pin the tail on the donkey" practices at the firing range anytime soon...

[oldr_n_wsr]

I can blind of semi-blind people wanting a gun to defend themselves. They're hearing is usually better than most people and can tell where someone is in relation to themselves. And if the criminal" doesn't respond to "tell me who you are or why your are here or I'll shoot" they can pull the trigger.

[Joe Guy]

"I'm not an expert in vision," Delaware County Sheriff John LeClere said. "At what point do vision problems have a detrimental effect to fire a firearm? If you see nothing but a blurry mass in front of you, then I would say you probably shouldn't be shooting something."

He's right about one thing. He's not 'an expert in vision'.

Blind people should be able to own a firearm for their own protection. Have you ever heard of a car full of blind people doing a drive by shooting?

How about a blind person pulling a gun on a bank teller, taking money and then hopping into a getaway car?

Or a blind man standing in a tower shooting people randomly?

Blind people may be the least dangerous gun owners on earth.

[MajGenl.Meade]

The question wasn't so much over ownership per se but over concealed carry in public. One problem: blind people won't be able to read the sign saying "Guns not permitted in this building".

[Crackpot]

I can blind of semi-blind people wanting a gun to defend themselves. They're hearing is usually better than most people and can tell where someone is in relation to themselves. And if the criminal" doesn't respond to "tell me who you are or why your are here or I'll shoot" they can pull the trigger.

what if the other person is Deaf?

[Joe Guy]

I can blind of semi-blind people wanting a gun to defend themselves. They're hearing is usually better than most people and can tell where someone is in relation to themselves. And if the criminal" doesn't respond to "tell me who you are or why your are here or I'll shoot" they can pull the trigger.

what if the other person is Deaf?

He won't hear himself get shot.

[MajGenl.Meade]

... and the blind could save $$$ on supressors.

[Jarlaxle]

My uncle had a carry permit while legally blind. He also had a class A license, a valid DOT medical card, and qualified "Expert" with a rifle in the Army. Legally blind does not mean BLIND. It just meant he needed Coke-bottle glasses.