State Senator Brad Zaun (R) of Urbandale told the Des Moines Register Editorial Board earlier this week that he has carried a 9 millimeter hand gun into the state capitol when the legislature has been in session. "I think that there are too many doors that can be easily accessed without going through security. There are crazy people out there."
Zaun says he carries a gun for personal safety and has carried a gun to campaign events as well. But carrying a gun into the statehouse is prohibited by state administrative code, and civilians pass through metal detectors to get inside. Iowa Public Radio statehouse correspondent Joyce Russell tells River to River host Ben Kieffer that legislators and state employees don't.