State Gun Laws

Iowa state law says that a person cannot get a firearms permit, and therefore, cannot have a gun, if s/he is:

• under the age of 18 and seeking a professional firearms permit;
• under the age of 21 and seeking a nonprofessional firearms permit;
• addicted to alcohol;
• likely to use a weapon illegally or in a way that would endanger him/herself or other, which must be based on documented evidence within the two years before applying for a firearms permit;
• subject to the firearm possession, receipt, transportation or control prohibitions of Iowa law;
• convicted of a felony;
• convicted of any serious or aggravated misdemeanor defined in chapter 708 of the Iowa Code, such as assault, stalking, harassment, within the previous three years that does not involve the use of a firearm or explosive;
• prohibited by federal law from shipping, transporting, possessing, or receiving a firearm;¹ or
• subject to a permanent domestic violence protective order.²

If any of these situations apply to the abuser, it may be illegal for him/her to have a gun. Also, federal laws, which apply to all states, may restrict an abuser’s right to have a gun. Go to Federal Gun Laws to get more information.

¹ Iowa Code § 724.8
² Iowa Code § 236.5(1)