Iowa Gun Laws

Iowa's permitless-carry statute clarifies that the availability of an optional carry permit does not impose any general prohibition on the otherwise lawful unlicensed carrying or transport — open or concealed — of a dangerous weapon, including a loaded firearm. Added by HF 756 (2021 Acts ch 35 §13), effective July 1, 2021.

"The availability of a professional or nonprofessional permit to carry weapons under this chapter shall not be construed to impose a general prohibition on the otherwise lawful unlicensed carrying or transport, whether openly or concealed, of a dangerous weapon, including a loaded firearm."

Iowa Code § 724.5 statute

A person less than eighteen years of age is ineligible to receive a permit to carry weapons. As of July 1, 2025 (HF 924 / 2025 Acts ch 27 §1), eighteen is also the de facto minimum age for lawful permitless carry, because § 724.4E still makes minor possession of a loaded firearm in a city or in a vehicle a serious misdemeanor.

"No professional or nonprofessional permit to carry weapons shall be issued to a person who is subject to any of the following: 1. Is less than eighteen years of age."

Iowa Code § 724.8(1) statute

The 2021 enrolled House File 756 — 'AN ACT relating to the acquisition and possession of weapons and providing penalties' — was the omnibus permitless-carry act. Among other things it added § 724.5 (the permitless-carry savings clause), § 724.4D (duty to cooperate), and § 724.4E (minor carry restrictions) and made a permit optional for FFL pistol acquisitions if NICS is completed. Signed by Governor Reynolds April 2, 2021; effective July 1, 2021.

"AN ACT RELATING TO THE ACQUISITION AND POSSESSION OF WEAPONS AND PROVIDING PENALTIES."

House File 756 (2021), enacted as 2021 Acts ch 35 statute

Section 724.4 was rewritten by HF 756 (2021 Acts ch 35 §9) to cover only the use of a dangerous weapon in the commission of a public offense, an aggravated misdemeanor. The prior general carry offense — which had criminalized going armed with a concealed dangerous weapon without a permit — was removed when Iowa adopted permitless carry.

Iowa Code § 724.4 (Use of a dangerous weapon in the commission of a crime) statute

Section 562A.11, as amended by HF 756 (2021 Acts ch 35), bars a residential landlord from including a rental agreement provision that prohibits a tenant or a tenant's guest from lawfully possessing firearms or ammunition on the leased premises. The protection applies to private rental housing under Iowa's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Law.

Iowa Code § 562A.11 (Rental agreement — prohibited provisions — landlord-tenant firearm protections) statute

Any person not disqualified under § 724.8 who satisfies the training requirements of § 724.9 and files an application under § 724.10 shall be issued a Nonprofessional Permit to Carry Weapons. The permit is issued by the sheriff of the applicant's county of residence, is valid for five years, and is valid throughout the state.

"Any person who is not disqualified under section 724.8, who satisfies the training requirements of section 724.9, and who files an application in accordance with section 724.10 shall be issued a nonprofessional permit to carry weapons... All permits so issued shall be for a period of five years."

Iowa Code § 724.7 (Nonprofessional permit to carry weapons) statute

Iowa does not specify a minimum classroom-hour training requirement; an initial applicant must demonstrate knowledge of firearm safety by completing any approved handgun safety training course (NRA, hunter-ed, military small arms training, law-enforcement firearm course, or an instructor certified under § 724.9A). Online live or web-based courses are permitted if verified by the instructor. Training is not required for renewals issued after December 31, 2010.

"An applicant for an initial permit to carry weapons shall demonstrate knowledge of firearm safety by any of the following means... The handgun safety training course required in subsection 1 may be conducted over the internet in a live or web-based format, if completion of the course is verified by the instructor or provider of the course."

Iowa Code § 724.9 (Firearm safety training) statute

The Iowa Department of Public Safety confirms that the July 1, 2021 law changes removed the requirement for a permit to acquire or a permit to carry in order to purchase a handgun or carry a firearm in public places (subject to limitations) but that Iowans may still obtain a Permit to Acquire Pistols and Revolvers or a Nonprofessional Permit to Carry Weapons through the sheriff's office in their county of residence.

"Weapon permit law changes that took effect July 1, 2021, remove the requirement for a permit to acquire or a permit to carry in order to purchase a handgun or carry a firearm in public places subject to certain limitations. Iowans may still obtain a Permit to Acquire Pistols and Revolvers or a Nonprofessional Permit to Carry Weapons by applying through the sheriff's office in their county of residence."

Iowa Department of Public Safety — Weapon Permits ag

Section 724.10 sets the application procedure for a Nonprofessional Permit to Carry Weapons referenced in §§ 724.7 and 724.11A. An applicant files with the sheriff of the applicant's county of residence, undergoes a state and federal criminal-history check via the Department of Public Safety, and pays the statutory fee. The section also bars a permit from referencing the make, model, or serial number of any particular firearm.

Iowa Code § 724.10 (Application for permit to carry weapons) statute

Section 724.9A establishes who qualifies as an approved firearm safety instructor for purposes of the training requirement in § 724.9, including instructors certified by the National Rifle Association, the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy, or another nationally recognized firearm safety organization.

Iowa Code § 724.9A (Firearm safety training — instructors) statute

Section 724.21 — the closing section of the §§ 724.15–724.21 Permit to Acquire framework — makes it an aggravated misdemeanor to knowingly give false information or offer false evidence in applying for, or in being investigated for, an Iowa permit to acquire or permit to carry weapons.

Iowa Code § 724.21 (Giving false information when acquiring a permit) statute

Section 724.13 governs suspension or revocation of an Iowa permit to carry weapons. It is the sole route by which a permit may be involuntarily voided, and § 29C.25 expressly carves it out as the one disaster-emergency exception to the bar on suspending or revoking carry or acquire permits.

Iowa Code § 724.13 (Suspension or revocation of permit) statute

Open carry of a loaded firearm is lawful on the same terms as concealed carry: § 724.5 expressly preserves the otherwise lawful unlicensed carrying or transport — whether openly or concealed — by eligible adults.

"The availability of a professional or nonprofessional permit to carry weapons under this chapter shall not be construed to impose a general prohibition on the otherwise lawful unlicensed carrying or transport, whether openly or concealed, of a dangerous weapon, including a loaded firearm."

Iowa Code § 724.5 statute

Any adult 18 or older who is not federally prohibited may transport a loaded firearm in any part of a private motor vehicle — glove box, center console, trunk, or in the open — without a permit. The unlicensed-carry savings clause in § 724.5 expressly preserves both carrying and transport of a loaded dangerous weapon.

"The availability of a professional or nonprofessional permit to carry weapons under this chapter shall not be construed to impose a general prohibition on the otherwise lawful unlicensed carrying or transport, whether openly or concealed, of a dangerous weapon, including a loaded firearm."

Iowa Code § 724.5 statute

A minor (under 18) who carries, transports, or possesses a loaded firearm within the limits of a city, or who knowingly carries or transports a pistol or revolver in a vehicle, commits a serious misdemeanor. This effectively caps in-vehicle loaded handgun transport at age 18 even though § 724.5 imposes no other age floor for permitless carry. Added by HF 756 (2021 Acts ch 35 §12).

"A minor who carries, transports, or possesses a loaded firearm of any kind within the limits of a city or knowingly carries or transports a pistol or revolver in a vehicle commits a serious misdemeanor."

Iowa Code § 724.4E (Possession of dangerous weapons and loaded firearms by minors) statute

Iowa has no general 'guns-in-trunks' employer parking-lot protection statute that bars private employers from prohibiting firearms in employees' locked private vehicles on employer property. Iowa's § 724.28 preemption clause does not constrain private employer policy; private employers may bar firearms from their property, including from employees' vehicles in employer-owned parking areas.

"A political subdivision of the state shall not enact an ordinance, motion, resolution, policy, or amendment regulating the ownership, possession, carrying, legal transfer, lawful transportation, modification, registration, or licensing of firearms."

Iowa Code Chapter 724 — no employer parking-lot statute statute

Iowa statute recognizes any valid permit or license to carry weapons issued by another state to a nonresident of Iowa as a valid permit under chapter 724. The recognition does not extend to the federal background-check substitution under § 724.15 (i.e., an out-of-state permit does not exempt the holder from the NICS / PCA requirement for buying a handgun from an Iowa FFL).

"A valid permit or license issued by another state to any nonresident of this state shall be considered to be a valid permit or license to carry weapons issued pursuant to this chapter, except that such permit or license shall not be deemed to satisfy the requirements of section 724.15."

Iowa Code § 724.11A (Recognition) statute

Iowa codifies a castle-doctrine presumption: a person is presumed to reasonably believe that deadly force is necessary to avoid death, serious injury, or life-safety risk when another is unlawfully entering — by force or stealth — or has unlawfully entered and remains in, the person's dwelling, place of business or employment, or occupied vehicle. The presumption also applies to attempted unlawful removal of a person from one of those locations.

"a person is presumed to reasonably believe that deadly force is necessary to avoid injury or risk to one's life or safety or the life or safety of another in either of the following circumstances: a. The person against whom force is used, at the time the force is used, is doing any of the following: (1) Unlawfully entering by force or stealth the dwelling, place of business or employment, or occupied vehicle of the person using force."

Iowa Code § 704.2A (Justifiable use of deadly force) statute

Iowa is a stand-your-ground state. A person who is not engaged in illegal activity has no duty to retreat from any place where the person is lawfully present before using reasonable force, including deadly force, as authorized by chapter 704. Added by 2017 Acts ch 69 §37.

"A person who is not engaged in illegal activity has no duty to retreat from any place where the person is lawfully present before using force as specified in this chapter."

Iowa Code § 704.1(3) statute

A person who is justified in using reasonable force against an aggressor in defense of self, another, or property is immune from both criminal and civil liability for all damages incurred by the aggressor through the application of that reasonable force.

"A person who is justified in using reasonable force against an aggressor in defense of oneself, another person, or property pursuant to section 704.4 is immune from criminal or civil liability for all damages incurred by the aggressor pursuant to the application of reasonable force."

Iowa Code § 704.13 (Immunity) statute

Section 704.4 authorizes the use of reasonable force in defense of property. It is the substantive force-justification provision referenced by § 704.13's immunity clause, which extends both criminal and civil immunity to a person whose use of reasonable force was justified under § 704.4.

Iowa Code § 704.4 (Defense of property) statute

Iowa law does not impose a general duty to proactively inform a law enforcement officer that you are armed during a traffic stop or other encounter. Section 724.4D requires cooperation only when the carrier's behavior creates a reasonable suspicion that the person presents a danger; it is not a blanket disclose-on-contact rule.

"A person carrying a dangerous weapon whose behavior creates a reasonable suspicion that the person presents a danger to the person's self or others shall cooperate with an investigating officer."

Iowa Code Chapter 724 — no general duty-to-disclose statute statute

Going armed with, carrying, or transporting a firearm of any kind — concealed or not — on the grounds of a public or nonpublic K-12 school is a Class D felony. Statutory exceptions cover school-authorized carry, on-duty peace officers and federal officers, military service members on duty, school-designated 'educator' permittees, and the transport of an unloaded firearm in a closed/fastened container or in a vehicle cargo/luggage compartment where it is not readily accessible. Rewritten by HF 756 §10 (2021 Acts ch 35 §10).

"A person who goes armed with, carries, or transports a firearm of any kind, whether concealed or not, on the grounds of a school commits a class 'D' felony."

Iowa Code § 724.4B (Carrying firearms on school grounds — penalty — exceptions) statute

A supreme-court or judicial-branch order that prohibits lawfully carrying, possessing, or transporting a weapon in a county courthouse or other joint-use public facility is unenforceable unless the order applies only to a courtroom, a court office, or a courthouse used only for judicial-branch functions. Enacted by 2020 Acts ch 1099 §5.

"A supreme court or judicial branch order that prohibits a person from lawfully carrying, possessing, or transporting a weapon in a county courthouse or other joint-use public facility shall be unenforceable unless the judicial order applies only to a courtroom or a court office, or to a courthouse used only for judicial branch functions."

Iowa Code § 724.32 (County courthouse — weapon prohibitions) statute

Carrying a dangerous weapon while intoxicated under the operating-while-intoxicated standard of § 321J.2 is a serious misdemeanor. Exceptions apply for possession in one's own home, place of business, or land lawfully possessed, and for transitory possession during a justified self-defense emergency.

"a person commits a serious misdemeanor if the person is intoxicated as provided under the conditions set out in section 321J.2, subsection 1, paragraph 'a', 'b', or 'c', and the person does any of the following: a. Carries a dangerous weapon on or about the person."

Iowa Code § 724.4C (Possession or carrying of dangerous weapons while under the influence) statute

A person carrying a dangerous weapon whose behavior creates a reasonable suspicion that the person presents a danger to self or others must cooperate with an investigating officer. Enacted by HF 756 §11 (2021 Acts ch 35 §11) as a permitless-carry safeguard.

"A person carrying a dangerous weapon whose behavior creates a reasonable suspicion that the person presents a danger to the person's self or others shall cooperate with an investigating officer."

Iowa Code § 724.4D (Duty to cooperate — reasonable suspicion) statute

The Iowa Department of Public Safety specifically advises that a state Permit to Carry Weapons can avoid legal exposure under the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act, which generally bars carry within 1,000 feet of a public, parochial, or private school. Permitless carriers should be aware of this federal overlay even where Iowa law alone would permit carry.

"May prevent legal issues associated with a person coming within 1,000 feet of the grounds of a public, parochial, or private school without a state issued permit in violation of the Gun Free School Zones Act, 18 USC § 921(a)(25) and 18 USC § 922(q)(2)."

8 U.S.C. § 922(q)(2) (federal Gun-Free School Zones Act) — Iowa DPS guidance ag

Section 321J.2 defines Iowa's operating-while-intoxicated standard incorporated by reference in § 724.4C (carrying while intoxicated) and § 724.16 (prohibited transfer to an intoxicated person): a person is intoxicated if (a) under the influence of alcohol or a drug, (b) with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more, or (c) with any amount of a controlled substance present.

Iowa Code § 321J.2 (Operating while under the influence — definition) statute

To acquire a pistol or revolver from a federally licensed firearms dealer, an unlicensed buyer must either hold a valid Permit to Acquire (PCA), hold a valid Permit to Carry Weapons issued under chapter 724, OR complete a satisfactory NICS background check. The federal age-21 floor for handgun transfers from FFLs is preserved by both statute and the NICS process.

"In order to acquire a pistol or revolver from a federally licensed firearms dealer, an unlicensed person is required to have a valid permit to acquire or a valid permit to carry weapons issued in accordance with this chapter or the person must complete a satisfactory national instant criminal background check pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §922(t)."

Iowa Code § 724.15 (Acquiring pistols or revolvers) statute

Iowa does not require background checks for private, in-state firearm transfers between unlicensed individuals. It is a Class D felony to knowingly transfer, loan, or rent a firearm to a person who is ineligible to possess dangerous weapons under § 724.8B, who is intoxicated, or who is federally prohibited under § 724.26.

"A person shall not transfer a firearm to another person if the person knows or reasonably should know that the other person is ineligible to possess dangerous weapons pursuant to section 724.8B, is intoxicated as provided under the conditions set out in section 321J.2, subsection 1, or is prohibited from receiving or possessing a firearm under section 724.26 or federal law."

Iowa Code § 724.16 (Prohibited transfers of firearms) statute

Section 724.8B defines the categories of persons ineligible to possess dangerous weapons under Iowa law — including those subject to certain protective orders, certain misdemeanor domestic-violence convictions, and other state-law disqualifications. It is the controlling list referenced in § 724.16's prohibition on transferring a firearm to a person who is ineligible to possess dangerous weapons.

Iowa Code § 724.8B (Persons ineligible to possess dangerous weapons) statute

18 U.S.C. § 922(g) is the federal statute defining categories of persons prohibited from receiving or possessing firearms or ammunition in or affecting interstate commerce — felons, fugitives, unlawful users of controlled substances, persons subject to certain domestic-violence protective orders, persons with certain misdemeanor domestic-violence convictions, illegal aliens, and others. Iowa Code § 724.16 and § 724.26 incorporate the federal disability as a state-law prohibition on receipt and possession.

"It shall be unlawful for any person—(1) who has been convicted in any court of, a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year..."

18 U.S.C. § 922(g) (federal prohibited persons) atf

Federal law requires a buyer to be 21 to purchase a handgun from a federally licensed dealer and 18 for long guns. Iowa Code § 724.22 (as amended by HF 924 in 2025) makes it a serious misdemeanor (Class D felony for repeat offenses) to sell, loan, give, or make available a pistol or revolver, or ammunition for one, to a person below 18.

"A licensee may not sell a handgun to anyone under the age of 21. A licensee may not sell a long gun to anyone under the age of 18."

18 U.S.C. § 922(b)(1) (federal) / Iowa Code § 724.22 atf

Iowa does not require firearm registration. Chapter 724 contains no general registration provision, and § 724.7 (permit to carry) and § 724.10 (permit application) expressly forbid a permit from referencing the make, model, or serial number of any particular weapon or ammunition.

"Such permits shall not be issued for a particular weapon and shall not contain information about a particular weapon including the make, model, or serial number of the weapon or any ammunition used in that weapon."

Iowa Code Chapter 724 — no firearm registry statute statute

Iowa has not enacted an extreme risk protection order (red flag) law. No provision of Iowa Code Chapter 724 authorizes a court to issue a civil order temporarily removing firearms from a person based on a risk-assessment standard. Existing firearm-disability provisions are limited to criminal convictions (§ 724.26), mental-health adjudications (§ 724.31), domestic-violence protective orders, and federal disqualifications.

"A person who is convicted of a felony in a state or federal court, or who is adjudicated delinquent on the basis of conduct that would constitute a felony if committed by an adult... is guilty of [an offense] if [the person] knowingly has under the person's dominion or possession or control or transports... a firearm."

Iowa Code Chapter 724 — no ERPO / red-flag statute statute

Section 724.26 is Iowa's principal felon-in-possession statute. It makes it a Class D felony for a person convicted of a felony, or adjudicated delinquent for conduct that would be a felony, to receive, possess, transport, or control a firearm or offensive weapon. The section also incorporates federally prohibited persons under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g).

"A person who is convicted of a felony in a state or federal court, or who is adjudicated delinquent on the basis of conduct that would constitute a felony if committed by an adult... is guilty of [an offense] if [the person] knowingly has under the person's dominion or possession or control or transports... a firearm."

Iowa Code § 724.26 (Possession, receipt, transportation, or dominion and control of firearms, offensive weapons, and ammunition by felons and others) statute

Section 724.31 establishes Iowa's mental-health firearm-disability process. A person who has been involuntarily committed for treatment of a mental illness, found incompetent, or otherwise adjudicated under standards corresponding to federal 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(4) is barred from receiving or possessing a firearm. The section also provides the petition procedure for relief from the disability.

Iowa Code § 724.31 (Persons subject to firearm disabilities due to mental health commitments or adjudications) statute

Iowa has no state assault-weapon ban. The state preempts local government regulation of the ownership, possession, carrying, transfer, transportation, modification, registration, or licensing of firearms and firearm components when those activities are otherwise lawful under state law.

"A political subdivision of the state shall not enact an ordinance, motion, resolution, policy, or amendment regulating the ownership, possession, carrying, legal transfer, lawful transportation, modification, registration, or licensing of firearms, firearms attachments, or other weapons when the ownership, possession, carrying, transfer, transportation, or modification is otherwise lawful under the laws of this state."

Iowa Code § 724.28 (Preemption) statute

Iowa imposes no magazine-capacity limit, and the § 724.28 preemption clause bars local governments from imposing one.

"A political subdivision of the state shall not enact an ordinance, motion, resolution, policy, or amendment regulating the ownership, possession, carrying, legal transfer, lawful transportation, modification, registration, or licensing of firearms, firearms attachments, or other weapons."

Iowa Code § 724.28 (preemption); no magazine-capacity statute statute

Suppressors, short-barreled rifles (SBRs), short-barreled shotguns (SBSs), and machine guns are regulated under the federal National Firearms Act and require ATF registration. Iowa law neither overrides nor adds to federal registration requirements for these items.

"The National Firearms Act (NFA) imposes a statutory excise tax on the manufacture and transfer of certain firearms and mandates the registration of those firearms."

26 U.S.C. ch. 53 (National Firearms Act) / ATF atf

Iowa expressly permits possession of NFA-registered firearm suppressors and short-barreled rifles/shotguns. The county sheriff (or chief law enforcement officer) must process Form 1/Form 4 CLEO certifications within 30 days and may not refuse based on a generalized objection. Possessing a suppressor or short-barreled rifle/shotgun in violation of federal law is a Class D felony under § 724.1B / § 724.1C.

"the chief law enforcement officer shall, within thirty days of receipt of a request for certification, issue such certification if the applicant is not prohibited by law from making or transferring a firearm suppressor."

Iowa Code § 724.1A (Firearm suppressors — certification) and § 724.1B (Firearm suppressors — penalty) statute

Sections 724.1B (suppressors) and 724.1C (short-barreled rifles and shotguns) make possession of those NFA items in violation of federal law a Class D felony under Iowa law — the state-law backstop to the federal National Firearms Act registration requirement.

Iowa Code § 724.1B and § 724.1C (Firearm suppressor / short-barreled rifle or shotgun — penalty) statute

Iowa preempts municipal and county regulation of firearms, firearm attachments, and ammunition. A 2020 amendment added a private cause of action with civil damages ($100-$500 per day of violation, doubled for knowing violations), declaratory and injunctive relief, and an award of attorney fees to the prevailing plaintiff against a local government that violates the preemption clause. A subsequent provision added in 2024 (2024 Acts ch 1118 §§1-2) also preempts local regulation of firearm and ammunition storage.

"If a political subdivision of the state, prior to, on, or after July 1, 2020, adopts, makes, enacts, or amends any ordinance, measure, enactment, rule, resolution, motion, or policy regulating the ownership, possession, carrying, legal transfer, lawful transportation, modification, registration, or licensing of firearms... a person adversely affected by the ordinance... may file suit in the appropriate court for declaratory and injunctive relief and all damages attributable to the violation."

Iowa Code § 724.28 statute

The Iowa Constitution as amended in November 2022 (SJR 7) declares the right to keep and bear arms a fundamental individual right and expressly subjects any restriction of that right to strict-scrutiny review — making Iowa's state constitutional standard among the most protective in the country.

"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. Any and all restrictions of this right shall be subject to strict scrutiny."

Iowa Constitution, Article I, § 1A (Right to keep and bear arms) statute

Effective July 1, 2021, HF 756 enacted Iowa's permitless-carry framework: added § 724.5 (savings clause for unlicensed carry, open or concealed), § 724.4D (duty to cooperate), and § 724.4E (minor carry); made the PCA or PCW optional for FFL pistol acquisitions if NICS is completed; toughened § 724.4B (school carry) to a Class D felony for any firearm regardless of intent to go armed; and added landlord-tenant firearm protections under § 562A.11.

"The availability of a professional or nonprofessional permit to carry weapons under this chapter shall not be construed to impose a general prohibition on the otherwise lawful unlicensed carrying or transport, whether openly or concealed, of a dangerous weapon, including a loaded firearm."

House File 756 (2021), 2021 Acts ch 35 statute

Ratified by 65.17% of voters (748,363 yes votes) at the November 8, 2022 general election after two-session passage of SJR 7 in 2019 and 2021. Adds Article I § 1A to the Iowa Constitution, declares the right to keep and bear arms a fundamental individual right, and imposes strict-scrutiny review on any restriction of that right.

"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. Any and all restrictions of this right shall be subject to strict scrutiny."

Senate Joint Resolution 7 (89th General Assembly), Iowa Const. Art. I § 1A statute

Effective July 1, 2025, HF 924 lowered the minimum age for an Iowa Nonprofessional Permit to Carry Weapons from 21 to 18 by striking the dual age structure in § 724.8(1), and lowered the PCA application age from 21 to 18 in § 724.15. Federal law still requires age 21 for handgun transfers from an FFL, and § 724.15 was correspondingly amended so a PCA or nonprofessional PCW held by an under-21 carrier remains invalid to substitute for NICS for an FFL pistol transfer.

"Section 724.8, subsection 1, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows: 1. Is less than eighteen years of age for a professional permit or less than twenty-one years of age for a nonprofessional permit. [strikethrough text struck]"

House File 924 (2025), 2025 Acts ch 27 statute

Enacted in 2022, § 29C.25 prohibits the Governor and any state or local official acting under disaster-emergency authority from prohibiting, regulating, or curtailing the lawful possession, carrying, transportation, transfer, or defensive use of firearms or ammunition; from suspending or revoking lawfully issued carry or acquire permits (except per § 724.13); or from seizing or confiscating firearms or ammunition.

"This chapter shall not be construed to authorize the governor or any other official of this state or any of its political subdivisions or any agent or person acting at the direction of the governor or any such official to do any of the following: a. Prohibit, regulate, or curtail the otherwise lawful possession, carrying, transportation, transfer, or defensive use of firearms or ammunition."

Iowa Code § 29C.25 (Firearms and ammunition — emergency limitations), 2022 Acts ch 1021 §18 statute

Iowa HF 924 amended § 724.8(1) to make 18 the unified minimum age for any Iowa permit to carry weapons (previously 21 for the Nonprofessional Permit), and amended § 724.15 to permit issuance of a Permit to Acquire at age 18. Federal law still requires a buyer to be 21 to receive a handgun from an FFL, and § 724.15 was correspondingly amended so an under-21 PCA or nonprofessional PCW is not valid to substitute for NICS on an FFL handgun transfer.

House File 924 (91st GA, 2025); 2025 Acts ch 27

Effective January 1, 2025, § 724.28 was amended to add an express preemption of local regulation of firearm and ammunition storage, voiding any such ordinance, motion, resolution, policy, or amendment adopted on or after July 1, 2020.

2024 Acts ch 1118 §§1-2 (HF 2556)

Iowa voters ratified the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Amendment 65.17% (748,363 yes) on November 8, 2022, adding Article I § 1A to the Iowa Constitution. The amendment declares the right a fundamental individual right and subjects any restriction of that right to strict-scrutiny review — among the strongest state-constitutional standards in the country. Two-session legislative passage was completed via SJR 18 (2019, 88th GA) and SJR 7 (2021, 89th GA).

Senate Joint Resolution 7 (89th GA); Iowa Const. Art. I § 1A

Iowa HF 756 added Iowa Code § 724.5 — the unlicensed-carry savings clause — establishing permitless open and concealed carry of a loaded firearm by any eligible adult who is not federally prohibited. It also added § 724.4D (duty to cooperate), § 724.4E (minor carry), and § 562A.11 firearm protections for tenants; rewrote § 724.4B (school carry) as a Class D felony for any firearm; and made the PCA or PCW optional for FFL pistol acquisitions if the buyer completes NICS.

House File 756 (89th GA, 2021); 2021 Acts ch 35