Iowa is granting permits to purchase or carry guns in public to people who are legally or completely blind. It’s not enough that some mentally ill people are getting their hands on guns and going on shooting rampages, but now the blind? Wow.

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.

[…]

“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.” Source: USA Today

This was cross-posted from The Hinterland Gazette.