Bohannan said she supports expanding background checks, but did not say she supports bans on certain types of guns.
Democratic candidate for Scott County Sheriff Thomas Gibbs shows 1st District Democratic candidate Christina Bohannan an AR-15-style rifle on private property near Blue Grass, Iowa, Saturday. (Sarah Watson/Quad-City Times)
BLUE GRASS – Democratic congressional candidate Christina Bohannan tried her hand at a private shooting range near Blue Grass, Iowa, on Saturday with Democratic candidate for Scott County Sheriff Thomas Gibbs, a former shooting instructor.
Bohannan is running for a second term against incumbent Republican Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks in the 1st Congressional District in southeast Iowa.
On the property of Democratic candidate for Iowa House of Representatives Phil Wiese, Bohannan fired a 9mm pistol, an AR-15 rifle and a 12-gauge shotgun at a target set up on the lawn.
Bohannan said she wanted to come to the range because she believes it is important for lawmakers to learn more about the firearms they regulate and to show her support for gun rights for law-abiding citizens and for gun safety.
“I grew up with guns, I'm a gun owner myself, I support the Second Amendment and I think it's important that we support those rights for law-abiding, responsible gun owners and understand firsthand what we're doing when we think about gun regulation,” Bohannan said.
Christina Bohannan aimed a 12-gauge shotgun at the property of Phil Wiese, a Democrat running for the 82nd District of the Iowa House of Representatives, near Blue Grass, Iowa, on Saturday. To her right sits Democratic sheriff candidate Thomas Gibbs. (Sarah Watson/Quad-City Times)
Bohannan said it is important to recognize the rights of gun owners while also advocating for expanding background checks and protecting people from gun violence.
Since 1994, federal law has required background checks when a gun is purchased from a licensed dealer, but not from unlicensed dealers, such as from unlicensed sellers at gun shows or online. A law passed in 2022 expanded the number of non-dealers who must be licensed and conduct background checks.
“I think we can protect both at the same time,” Bohannan said. “And I want us to move away from this more extreme discussion between left and right. … Many Democrats in Iowa are gun owners and believe that we should protect gun rights while also making sure our children and our communities are safe.”
Bohannan said she believes the legislation passed by Congress in June 2022 “did some good.”
This law closed the so-called “boyfriend loophole” in the law that prohibits domestic abusers from owning firearms. It also created funding for states to implement so-called red flag laws that allow for the temporary removal of firearms from people deemed a danger to themselves or others. It also provided additional funding for school and mental health programs, to name a few.
The Iowa House delegation was split along party lines on the issue. Iowa's only Democratic representative at the time, Cindy Axne, voted for it, while Republicans Miller-Meeks, Randy Feenstra and Ashley Hinson voted against it. Iowa Senator Joni Ernst voted for the bill, while Senator Chuck Grassley voted against it.
Bohannan said she supports expanding background checks, but did not comment on banning certain types of weapons, such as semi-automatic assault rifles or bump stocks.
“That's a harder issue because it's not just about who owns them, but the type of guns. … I think we need to try to keep these guns out of the hands of people who shouldn't own them,” Bohannan said. “So I would like to see stricter regulations on them. Whether we should impose an outright ban, I think that's a discussion we can have, but I think the most important thing is to make sure that people can't just immediately reach for these guns in a moment of anger or in a situation where they might have suicidal or violent tendencies and fire them.”
“And I think we really need to look at gun safety training too, because a lot of people … don't know how to handle a firearm safely. And I've been doing this for a long time. I've been shooting since I was a kid, but I learned something else today from Tom about gun safety,” she added.
Christina Bohannan admires her aim after shooting a 9mm pistol and an AR-15 on Saturday at the property of Phil Wiese, a Democrat running for the 82nd District of the Iowa House of Representatives, near Blue Grass, Iowa. To her left stands Democratic sheriff candidate Thomas Gibbs. (Sarah Watson/Quad-City Times)
Bohannan said she would like to see more research at the federal level on mental health, suicide and deaths from gun violence.
When asked how her stance on guns differs from Miller-Meeks, Bohannan said Miller-Meeks “doesn't want to do anything to prevent gun violence against our children, against people who are out in the community or in our schools. I think we have to take this seriously. Even responsible gun owners largely support background checks, and she voted against that effort.”
At a town hall meeting in Iowa City a year ago, Miller-Meeks said she might consider supporting tightening background checks.
She said she opposed a ban on semi-automatic rifles, including AR or AK-type rifles. She said she did not condone the shootings across the country and supported and urged people to lock up their guns and ammunition and take gun safety classes.
Miller-Meeks introduced a bill that would allow states to use unspent federal COVID-19 relief funds for school safety.
At the town hall meeting, Miller-Meeks called a federal ban on assault weapons from 1994 to 2005 ineffective. In response to questions from reporters, she said Congress did not get enough votes to pass measures to restrict nationwide access to semi-automatic weapons used in mass killings, the Cedar Rapids Gazette reported. Instead, the country needs to fully enforce existing laws and toughen penalties for people who commit a crime with a firearm, she said.
