The Republican-led legislature passed the bill allowing guns in public in early June, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed it into law June 25, and the law went into effect July 1.
Doug Bailey, chair of the Hamilton County Board of Supervisors, said he would prefer to keep guns out of the county courthouse.
“It’s really difficult to understand how the common good is served by this legislation,” Bailey said. “In the larger counties and cities, some already have in place the monitoring at the doors…but counties the size of Hamilton certainly have not. And cities the size of Webster City have not.”
He said their county courthouse holds several different county offices, including the sheriff’s, which they’ve relied on to handle any disturbances in the building. But the new law would require additional armed security to continue banning guns inside, and Bailey’s not sure if Hamilton County can afford that.
“And of course, there’s no funding coming from the state to pay for it or acknowledge there’s a cost,” Bailey said. “And that may be a part of it. You don’t have to do anything, so just let people come in with their weapons.”
He said he’s worried about county workers feeling threatened by people coming in with firearms.
Read the full story at Iowa Public Radio.