Gun laws in Iowa

Gun laws in Iowa regulate the sale, possession, and use of firearms and ammunition in the state of Iowa in the United States.

Summary table

Subject / law	Longguns	Handguns	Relevant statutes	Notes
State permit required to purchase?	No	No		Iowa law provides for a permit to acquire pistols or revolvers but it is not required to purchase firearms. The permit has a three-day waiting period before taking effect.
Firearm registration?	No	No		"Neither the sheriff nor the commissioner shall require an applicant for a permit to carry weapons to provide information identifying a particular weapon in the application including the make, model, or serial number of the weapon or any ammunition used in that particular weapon."
Assault weapon law?	No	No
Magazine capacity restriction?	No	No
Owner license required?	No	No
Permit required for concealed carry?	N/A	No		Iowa is a "shall issue" state for citizens and lawful permanent residents who are 21 years or older. Permitless carry took effect on July 1, 2021.
Permit required for open carry?	No	No		May carry openly without permit.
Castle Doctrine?	Yes	Yes		Civil immunity for use of "reasonable force" in self defense
Stand Your Ground law?	Yes	Yes		"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..."
State preemption of local restrictions?	Yes	Yes		"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."
NFA weapons restricted?	Yes	Yes		Machine guns and destructive devices illegal. Suppressors legal as of March 31, 2016. Short barreled rifles and shotguns legal as of April 13, 2017.
Shall certify?	Yes	Yes		Shall certify within 30 days.
Peaceable Journey laws?	No	No
Background checks required for private sales?	No	No

State constitutional provisions

Article I, Section 1A of the Constitution of Iowa states:

"Right to keep and bear arms – 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."

In November 2022, Iowa adopted Constitutional Amendment 1, The Right to Keep and Bear Arms, including the requirement of "strict scrutiny for any alleged violations of the right brought before a court".

Firearm laws

On January 1, 2011, Iowa became a "shall issue" state for a permit to carry weapons on one's person. This applies to both open carry and concealed carry.
Applicants must successfully complete an approved training course. The permit is valid for 5 years. On July 1, 2021, Iowa became a constitutional carry state allowing for both open and concealed carry without a permit by both residents and non-residents.
Iowa will honor any valid permit issued by any other state. Persons do not have to be a resident of the state from which the permit was issued.
A Permit To Acquire, obtained from the sheriff of the county of the applicant's residence, is available to skip the background check before purchasing firearms. A PTA shall be issued to qualified applicants aged 21 or older. The PTA becomes valid three days after the date of application, and is valid for five years. Starting July 1, 2021, a PTA is no longer required to purchase a handgun in the state of Iowa. They are still available, however, as they may be used to substitute a NICS background check.
Iowa has enacted state preemption of firearms laws, so local units of government may not restrict firearms.
Under Iowa law, private citizens may not possess automatic firearms, any firearm "other than a shotgun or muzzle loading rifle, cannon, pistol, revolver or musket" with a bore of more than 6/10 of an inch, or any explosive, incendiary or poison gas destructive device., short-barreled rifles, and short-barreled shotguns may be possessed if federally registered.