DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — More than 50 Iowa sex offenders have permits to carry guns in public thanks to a two-year-old law that makes it harder for sheriffs to deny permits. The Des Moines Register reports law enforcement officials and some state lawmakers are worried about armed sex offenders. Washington County Sheriff Jerry Dunbar says he worries about sex offenders having guns because many of them use intimidation to get what they want and a gun could help that.

Most of the sex offenders who have obtained gun permits in Iowa were convicted of misdemeanors like lascivious conduct with a minor. Ronald Hahn Jr. says he doesn’t pose a threat to public safety and he uses guns for hunting, so why should his indecent exposure conviction keep him from getting a gun permit?