Carrying a Weapon
Iowa Code § 724.8B — who may not carry a dangerous weapon at all
Going armed with a dangerous weapon on or about the person and using it in the commission of a crime is an aggravated misdemeanor, except as section 708.8 provides.
- A person who could not be issued a permit to carry because of alcohol addiction, documented actions showing the person is likely to use a weapon unlawfully or dangerously, a firearm bar under section 724.26, a conviction within three years for a serious or aggravated misdemeanor in chapter 708, or a federal bar is prohibited from carrying dangerous weapons.
- So is a person who illegally possesses a controlled substance included in chapter 124, subchapter II, and a person who is committing an indictable offense.
- Unless the law provides otherwise, carrying anyway is a serious misdemeanor.
Carrying while intoxicated. A person who is intoxicated as the operating while intoxicated section defines it, and who carries a dangerous weapon on or about the person, or within immediate reach in a vehicle, commits a serious misdemeanor.
The intoxication rule does not apply in the person's own dwelling, place of business, or land the person owns or lawfully possesses, or to holding a weapon during justified self defense or defense of another for no longer than the emergency needs.
Sources for this section (4)
- Iowa Code § 724.4 — Use of a dangerous weapon in the commission of a crime
- Iowa Code § 724.8B — Persons ineligible to carry dangerous weapons
- Iowa Code § 724.8 — Persons ineligible for permit to carry weapons
- Iowa Code § 724.4C — Possession or carrying of dangerous weapons while under the influence
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Iowa attorney.