Iowa voters on Tuesday passed a gun-rights amendment to the state constitution by a 65.1%-34.9% margin.

"The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. The sovereign state of Iowa affirms and recognizes this right to be a fundamental individual right," the amendment reads. "Any and all restrictions of this right shall be subject to strict scrutiny."

Opponents of the measure argued that the amendment will make it more difficult to pass gun regulations as the "strict scrutiny" language in the amendment goes further than the U.S. Constitution.

The language will require any gun legislation to be narrowly tailored and achieve a compelling state interest, one of the strictest legal guidelines.

"The potential consequences of this amendment's passage, from expensive lawsuits in the Iowa courts to impacting current law and the safety of Iowans, will be far-reaching and dire for our state," Iowans for Responsible Gun Laws said Tuesday.

Advocates of the amendment say the language will further prevent the infringement of gun rights, adding protection to Second Amendment. Republicans passed the language in 2019 and 2021, allowing it to appear on Tuesday's ballot.

The Iowa Firearms Coalition has been working to add this language to Iowa's constitution for decades. Dave Funk, the coalition's president, called the passage of the amendment a "historic day for freedom, civil rights and the Hawkeye state."

Iowa is the fourth state to pass strict scrutiny language for its Second Amendment, following Alabama, Louisiana and Missouri. All three states rank in the top 5 of highest firearm mortality.