Iowans can buy 'Don't Tread on Me' license plates to help fund NRA under House-passed bill

[cigaretteman]

Iowans could buy custom yellow "Don't Tread on Me" license plates under a bill that passed the Iowa House Wednesday.

The Iowa House voted 60-34 to pass House File 2639, which allows the Iowa Department of Transportation to issue custom Iowa license plates with the "Gadsden Flag," which was designed during the Revolutionary War in 1775 by Christopher Gadsden and was used by the Continental Marines.

The yellow flag depicts a coiled timber rattlesnake above the phrase "Don't Tread on Me."

The flag and its slogan are associated with individual liberty, limited government and gun rights. In recent years it has been a mainstay at conservative rallies and protests.

"I do want to just express my appreciation for giving the Gadsden Flag the respect it deserves as a symbol which memorializes our American history and the fight that we had to fight to get our liberty," said the bill's floor manager, Rep. Jeff Shipley, R-Birmingham.

POLITICS

Iowans can buy 'Don't Tread on Me' license plates to help fund NRA under House-passed bill​

Stephen Gruber-Miller
Des Moines Register

Iowans could buy custom yellow "Don't Tread on Me" license plates under a bill that passed the Iowa House Wednesday.
The Iowa House voted 60-34 to pass House File 2639, which allows the Iowa Department of Transportation to issue custom Iowa license plates with the "Gadsden Flag," which was designed during the Revolutionary War in 1775 by Christopher Gadsden and was used by the Continental Marines.
The yellow flag depicts a coiled timber rattlesnake above the phrase "Don't Tread on Me."
The flag and its slogan are associated with individual liberty, limited government and gun rights. In recent years it has been a mainstay at conservative rallies and protests.

"I do want to just express my appreciation for giving the Gadsden Flag the respect it deserves as a symbol which memorializes our American history and the fight that we had to fight to get our liberty," said the bill's floor manager, Rep. Jeff Shipley, R-Birmingham.
More:License plate spotting around Des Moines turning into a national phenomenon

The license plates would cost $50, and drivers would pay another annual $50 fee in addition to their normal annual registration fees. If a driver wants a personalized license plate, they would also pay an additional $25 fee and $5 more each year.

License plate fees would go to the NRA to educate about 'the right to keep and bear arms'​

The money from the fees would go to the Department of Public Safety, which would distribute it as grants to nonprofits to provide training on "the right to keep and bear arms." The department would have to give first preference for the grants to the National Rifle Association "and similar nonprofit organizations."

Iowans could buy 'Don't Tread on Me' license plates to fund gun groups under House bill

Iowans could buy yellow "Don't Tread on Me" license plates under a bill that passed the Iowa House Wednesday. Fees from the plates would fund affiliates of the NRA.

www.press-citizen.com

 

[Joes Place]

Wow

Used to be you could donate to a "non-profit" and non-political entity.
Now, you can fund the NRA directly????

 

[IAFB2021Champs]

So they do this to make some money yet they haven’t legalized weed in this state? What the heck are they waiting for.

 

[jawatkins]

Welp adding more easy ways to spot a dumbass

 

[jneffer]

its cool that the iowa legislature is helping fund raise for the nra

 

[Joes Place]

its cool that the iowa legislature is helping fund raise for the nra

...and the State Auditor cannot audit where the "grant money" actually goes....

 

[BioHawk]

So this is what happens when the spigot of Russian money dries up.

 

[CarolinaHawkeye]

its cool that the iowa legislature is helping fund raise for the nra

Seems rather fascist to me.

 

[ConvenientParking]

"Here Dumbass County Treasurer, please accept double registration fees so I can advertise to the world that I am a moron paying more taxes to express my dissatisfaction with big government. Yes, I would like to opt-in to have another $50 sent to MAGA PAC. No, this is different than buying a Che Guevera t-shirt made by sweatshop labor"

 

[cigaretteman]

When Christopher Gadsden presented colonial Marines with a flag he designed depicting a coiled rattlesnake over the words “Don’t Tread On Me,” It’s doubtful he knew it would someday be affixed to the rear end of horseless vehicles traveling at great speeds.



And yet, here we are in 2024, and Iowa House Republicans want to give Iowans the freedom to buy Gadsden flag license plates. Who am I to oppose license plate liberty?


But there is something comical about forking over $50 annually to the government to put an anti-government symbol on your truck. Money raised will go for Second Amendment training conducted by the Iowa Firearms Coalition, an affiliate of the National Rifle Association. The coalition is the only group supporting the bill.




It cleared the House Wednesday on a 60-34 largely party-line vote.


The Gadsden flag has served as a potent symbol in U.S. history. But which history are lawmakers seeking to promote?


The Gadsden banner likely was inspired by an illustration in Benjamin Franklin’s paper, The Philadelphia Gazette, in 1754. It shows a snake cut into pieces, with each piece labeled as a colony. “Join or Die” read the caption. It was meant to encourage colonial unity in the face of a war with France and its Native American allies.


Gadsden designed his flag in 1775 and it encouraged colonial unity once again, this time against the British. Gadsden represented South Carolina in the first and second Continental Congress as well as seeing action in the military during the Revolutionary War.





After the revolution, the eagle displaced the snake as the nation’s symbol. But before and during the Civil War, confederates co-opted the snake’s symbolism and hoisted the Gadsden flag in defiance of federal authority. You may recall that defiance was in defense of slavery.


The Union gave up trying to retake the snake and, instead, created illustrations showing eagles eating snakes. As Laura Brodie wrote in a 2023 Washington Post column, the whole thing resembled a modern day meme war on social media.


So, the confederacy lost. And the snake flag lived a relatively quiet existence as a symbol for Libertarians and others who opposed nanny government.


But after Barack Obama was elected president in 2008, the snake returned with a vengeance. The Gadsden flag became a symbol of the anti-government Tea Party movement. It sprang up when America’s first Black president took office. Just a coincidence.


Fast forward to Jan. 6, 2021, when supporters of former President Donald Trump invaded the Capitol to “stop the steal” and halt an electoral vote count their hero lost fair and square. You couldn’t swing a blunt weapon without hitting a Gadsden flag.


One of the rioters who dragged Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone down the Capitol steps was wearing a Gadsden flag T-shirt. A rioter who scaled a Capitol wall and sprayed officers with a fire extinguisher was carrying a Gadsden flag. He was sentenced to 33 months in prison.


A woman carrying a Gadsden flag was trampled in the push to enter the Capitol and died.


So which history are we embracing? The spirit of 1775, the confederacy, Tea Party or the Big Lie legions who attacked the Capitol?


Given the power of MAGA Republicans in Iowa, it seems clear. The venom runs in their veins.


This is a GOP regime that treads on rights of women and LGBTQ Iowans, wants to dictate school curriculum, ban books and use “religious freedom” to void the freedoms of others. They promote “Don’t Tread On Me” while leaving footprints on the backs of thousands of Iowans.


Not all of our liberties are prized, speaking of flags.

Opinion: Iowa Republicans want to put a snake on our plates

When Christopher Gadsden presented colonial Marines with a flag he designed depicting a coiled rattlesnake over the words “Don’t Tread On Me,” It’s doubtful he knew it would someday be affixed to the rear end of horseless vehicles traveling at great speeds.

www.thegazette.com

 

[95Hawk]

The NRA has shown themselves to be good stewards of its members’ dollars. What could go wrong?

Also: I’d love to see the Venn diagram of Gadsden flag flying yokels and supporters of reprodutive rights. I betcha there’s less than a 1% overlap - and the irony would be completely lost on the yokels.

 

[Joes Place]

I'll bet these NRA-funding plates will sell like hotcakes in the Perry, IA area...

 

[Scruddy]

The things people are willing to spend their money on and also clutch their pearls over lol

 

[Derekd3408]

Do you guys think it will be too much with this?

 

[Hoosierhawkeye]

Wow

Used to be you could donate to a "non-profit" and non-political entity.
Now, you can fund the NRA directly????

This is an example of people in government using their power to do nothing but try to antagonize the other side.

 

[MitchLL]

Personally, I can't wait to encounter someone having these license plates if this proceeds forward.

Just hope my wife isn't around when I do.

 

[Hoosierhawkeye]

If you can give money to the NRA through your license plates shouldn't there also be a plate for a gun control group?

Political groups shouldn't be a part of this.

 

[Joes Place]

This is an example of people in government using their power to do nothing but try to antagonize the other side.

Here's a link to a handy gadget to help all of those with Don't Tread On Me plates with checking their tire treads...

Won't cause $0.01 of damage to a tire.

www.amazon.com/Just-Joy-Remover-Screwdriver-Installation/dp/B091YG8CN8/

 

[Joes Place]

Personally, I can't wait to encounter someone having these license plates if this proceeds forward.

Just hope my wife isn't around when I do.

Handy link for ya...

www.amazon.com/Just-Joy-Remover-Screwdriver-Installation/dp/B091YG8CN8/?th=1

 

[Aardvark86]

Interesting. Is it generally common that funding for these types of vanity plates goes to the organization(s) they sort of 'commemorate'? Many states have plates for various universities, pro life charities, and the like, and it would seem to me that once they open that door, it would be hard to close it to some based on viewpoint discrimination (subject perhaps to some minimum # of plates or the like).

 

[Derekd3408]

Personally, I can't wait to encounter someone having these license plates if this proceeds forward.

Just hope my wife isn't around when I do.

You wouldn't do a thing internet tough guy.

 

[NorthernHawkeye]

Iowans could buy custom yellow "Don't Tread on Me" license plates under a bill that passed the Iowa House Wednesday.

The Iowa House voted 60-34 to pass House File 2639, which allows the Iowa Department of Transportation to issue custom Iowa license plates with the "Gadsden Flag," which was designed during the Revolutionary War in 1775 by Christopher Gadsden and was used by the Continental Marines.

The yellow flag depicts a coiled timber rattlesnake above the phrase "Don't Tread on Me."

The flag and its slogan are associated with individual liberty, limited government and gun rights. In recent years it has been a mainstay at conservative rallies and protests.

"I do want to just express my appreciation for giving the Gadsden Flag the respect it deserves as a symbol which memorializes our American history and the fight that we had to fight to get our liberty," said the bill's floor manager, Rep. Jeff Shipley, R-Birmingham.

POLITICS

Iowans can buy 'Don't Tread on Me' license plates to help fund NRA under House-passed bill​

Stephen Gruber-Miller
Des Moines Register

Iowans could buy custom yellow "Don't Tread on Me" license plates under a bill that passed the Iowa House Wednesday.
The Iowa House voted 60-34 to pass House File 2639, which allows the Iowa Department of Transportation to issue custom Iowa license plates with the "Gadsden Flag," which was designed during the Revolutionary War in 1775 by Christopher Gadsden and was used by the Continental Marines.
The yellow flag depicts a coiled timber rattlesnake above the phrase "Don't Tread on Me."
The flag and its slogan are associated with individual liberty, limited government and gun rights. In recent years it has been a mainstay at conservative rallies and protests.

"I do want to just express my appreciation for giving the Gadsden Flag the respect it deserves as a symbol which memorializes our American history and the fight that we had to fight to get our liberty," said the bill's floor manager, Rep. Jeff Shipley, R-Birmingham.
More:License plate spotting around Des Moines turning into a national phenomenon

The license plates would cost $50, and drivers would pay another annual $50 fee in addition to their normal annual registration fees. If a driver wants a personalized license plate, they would also pay an additional $25 fee and $5 more each year.

License plate fees would go to the NRA to educate about 'the right to keep and bear arms'​

The money from the fees would go to the Department of Public Safety, which would distribute it as grants to nonprofits to provide training on "the right to keep and bear arms." The department would have to give first preference for the grants to the National Rifle Association "and similar nonprofit organizations."

Iowans could buy 'Don't Tread on Me' license plates to fund gun groups under House bill

Iowans could buy yellow "Don't Tread on Me" license plates under a bill that passed the Iowa House Wednesday. Fees from the plates would fund affiliates of the NRA.

www.press-citizen.com

The fees are also jacked up more than other specialized plates.

The bill originally called for a $35 registration fee and a $10 annual fee, but Republicans amended the bill in the Ways and Means committee meeting on Wednesday to increase those fees to $50 each.

Fees for proposed Iowa ‘don’t tread on me’ license plates would fund NRA-affiliated gun trainings

The flag, which features a coiled rattlesnake and the slogan “Don’t tread on me,” has become a symbol of individual liberty favored by Libertarians and conservatives.

www.thegazette.com

 

[MitchLL]

You wouldn't do a thing internet tough guy.

Au contraire.

I love getting in someone's face.

Or....if I spot them behind me in a car...

I hate stupid fvckers....
That you?

 

[NorthernHawkeye]

Personally, I can't wait to encounter someone having these license plates if this proceeds forward.

Just hope my wife isn't around when I do.

Aren't you pushing 70?

 

[Derekd3408]

Au contraire.

I love getting in someone's face.

Or....if I spot them behind me in a car...

I hate stupid fvckers....
That you?

Well good thing you don't want your wife around. She doesn't need to watch you get your ass kicked. "I love getting in someone's face" 🤣🤣🤣. Holy shit. Every person I know that says that shit routinely gets their ass kicked. That's you. Not a question.

Thanks for revealing yourself as one of the most triggered unstable people on the board.

 

[MitchLL]

Well good thing you don't want your wife around. She doesn't need to watch you get your ass kicked. "I love getting in someone's face" 🤣🤣🤣. Holy shit. Every person I know that says that shit routinely gets their ass kicked. That's you. Not a question.

Thanks for revealing yourself as one of the most triggered unstable people on the board.

As I've gotten older, my tolerance levels have changed.

That's just me, though.

 

[Tom Paris]

I wonder what the residents of Perry think.

 

[St. Louis Hawk]

KKK and Flying Spaghetti Monster and Satanists demands to have their own plate filed in 3, 2, 1 …

 

[jawatkins]

KKK and Flying Spaghetti Monster and Satanists demands to have their own plate filed in 3, 2, 1 …

Why not

 

[McLovin32]

These are almost as stupid as ISU vanity plates

 

[SSG T]

If they want to self identify as uneducated dip s***s, I'm good with it.

I do have a massive issue with the money going to the f***ing NRA, however. F*** that Russian funded, un-American POS organization.

 

[JWolf74]

The plate doesn't bother me. Let some inbred pay extra to advertise the fact they're a moran. But in no way should the fees be siphoned to an NRA organization.

 

[St. Louis Hawk]

Why not

I agree. Can’t pick and choose. You put NRA on the list, you opened the door.

 

[Derekd3408]

These are almost as stupid as ISU vanity plates

I see your angle here. Paint something else as bigger villian so when you get your DTOM plates it doesn't seem as bad. Did you put yourself on the wait list?

 

[IAFB2021Champs]

Personally, I can't wait to encounter someone having these license plates if this proceeds forward.

Just hope my wife isn't around when I do.

I hope you have it on video to share with us.
I’m sure whatever it is that you do is really going to show them.

 

[McLovin32]

I see your angle here. Paint something else as bigger villian so when you get your DTOM plates it doesn't seem as bad. Did you put yourself on the wait list?

You're goddamn right I did.

 

[MitchLL]

I hope you have it on video to share with us.
I’m sure whatever it is that you do is really going to show them.

The comment about my wife was only in regards to the fact that she is less confrontational than I am.

There would be no fistfight if I met a knuckedragger.

 

[Derekd3408]

As I've gotten older, my tolerance levels have changed.

That's just me, though.

 

[hawkmart]

Is it ok to get them on anything other than a pickup

 

[LunchBox50]

Still better than the ISU plates.