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10 Sep 2013
The Windsor Star
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Blind people get gun permits in U.S. state
From page B1 DES MOINES, IOWA — Some blind people are granted gun permits in one U.S. state, and law enforcement officials are debating the wisdom of it.
The Des Moines Register reports that Iowa law doesn’t allow sheriffs to deny a permit to carry a gun in public based on physical ability. Blind people can obtain the permits for carrying a weapon in public because of changes to state law that took effect in 2011.
Jane Hudson with Disability Rights Iowa said keeping legally blind people from obtaining weapon permits would violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. She said federal law requires states to analyze a situation individually before denying a service. “The fact that you can’t drive a car doesn’t mean you can’t go to a shooting range and see a target,” Hudson said.
Some other states require anyone applying for a gun permit to provide proof of their visual ability by supplying a driver’s license or doctor’s statement.
In Iowa, Polk County officials said they have issued weapons permits to people who can’t drive legally because of vision problems at least three times.