Iowans would no longer need a permit to carry a firearm or to buy a gun in a person-to-person sale under a bill under consideration by the Iowa Senate.

"I don’t see why it would be in Iowa’s best interests to have government regulate the law-abiding and not have any way to regulate the lawbreakers," said Sen. Jason Schultz, R-Schleswig.

Anyone wishing to buy a gun from a federally-licensed firearms dealer would still be required to have a valid permit to carry or complete a federal background check, if the bill becomes law. But that would no longer be the case for person-to-person sales and sales that don't fall under federal law.

Under the measure, which an Iowa Senate subcommittee approved Monday, Iowans would still be able to obtain permits to carry firearms if needed when they travel out-of-state or for other purposes. But they wouldn't need to have a permit to carry firearms in Iowa.

Bryant Alexander, a farmer and kennel owner from Marion County, said the measure moves Iowa in the right direction.

"Concealed carry permits are an abomination to the Constitution and an affront to every American citizen," said Alexander, who traveled to Des Moines to support the bill. "A permit is just that: A permission slip. We have had our rights stolen from us to be replaced by a permission slip from the government."

Jane Robinette of Urbandale, who wore an "America Needs Gun Safety" shirt to the hearing, disagreed.

"Is a permit really such an onerous thing to be able to carry something that can kill someone else?" she asked lawmakers after Alexander spoke. She said people need permits to drive and to assemble if they want to demonstrate or hold an event.

"There are things that you do to participate in a community and a permit to acquire something that can kill other people, I don’t think, is that big of a burden," Robinette said.

Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds declined to offer her support for the legislation Tuesday but said she has "an open mind" about it. She noted to reporters that she was a state senator in 2010 when she voted for the "shall issue" gun bill that standardized how permits are approved in Iowa to carry a concealed weapon.

Former Gov. Chet Culver, a Democrat, signed that legislation.

"I think that was a good piece of legislation," Reynolds said of the 2010 law. "I think that was the right thing to do. We'll wait and see, you know, how the legislation proceeds here in the Legislature ... we'll see what kind of traction it has and where it goes."

Legislation on "permitless carry" has been debated in previous years but Schultz said the idea becomes more normalized each time it comes up.

Richard Rogers, a lobbyist for the Iowa Firearms Coalition, which supports the bill, said it may seem extreme to eliminate permitting since the process is so well-established in the state. But it's not, he said.

"The mere fact that a regulation has long been in place does not in itself prevent that regulation from being a violation of fundamental rights," Rogers said.

"Law-abiding citizens should not be required to pay government-mandated fees and navigate a licensing system in order to exercise a fundamental individual right," said Scott Jones, a lobbyist for the National Rifle Association, which supports the bill.

Sen. Tony Bisignano, D-Des Moines, said he hasn't decided whether to support the bill. But, he said, he is concerned about whether eliminating permit requirements or waiting periods for certain gun sales could lead to an increase in suicides or gun accidents.

People who get gun permits now have to go through some level of training, but that wouldn't be the case if a permit is no longer required, he said.

"We’re really not training people in how to use a weapon. You can just buy one. And that’s a dangerous thing," Bisignano said.

Barbara Rodriguez contributed to this report.

Correction: This report has corrected the requirements needed to buy a gun from a federally licensed dealer.