Iowa Code § 724.15
Acquiring pistols or revolvers
Redline — January 1, 2012 → current.View current text →
Current — January 1, 2026
As of January 1, 2012
1. Any person who desires to acquire ownership of any pistol or revolver shall first obtain an annual permit. An annual permit shall be issued upon request to any resident of this state unless the person is subject to any of the following:
1. It is the intent of this section to satisfy federal requirements of 18 U.S.C. §922(t)(3) in order to acquire pistols or revolvers. 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). A person under the age of twenty-one shall not be issued a permit to acquire a pistol or revolver, nor shall a nonprofessional permit to carry weapons held by a person who has not reached the age of twenty-one be valid for the transfer of a pistol or revolver from a federally licensed firearms dealer.
2. A person shall not acquire a pistol or revolver if the person is any of the following:
a. Is less than twenty-one years of age.
a. Under eighteen years of age.
b. Is subject to the provisions of section 724.26.
b. Prohibited by section 724.26 or federal law from possessing, shipping, transporting, or receiving a firearm.
2. Any person who acquires ownership of a pistol or revolver shall not be required to obtain an annual permit if any of the following apply:
a. The person transferring the pistol or revolver and the person acquiring the pistol or revolver are licensed firearms dealers under federal law.
b. The pistol or revolver acquired is an antique firearm, a collector’s item, a device which is not designed or redesigned for use as a weapon, a device which is designed solely for use as a signaling, pyrotechnic, line-throwing, safety, or similar device, or a firearm which is unserviceable by reason of being unable to discharge a shot by means of an explosive and is incapable of being readily restored to a firing condition.
c. The person acquiring the pistol or revolver is authorized to do so on behalf of a law enforcement agency.
d. The person has obtained a valid permit to carry weapons, as provided in section 724.11.
e. The person transferring the pistol or revolver and the person acquiring the pistol or revolver are related to one another within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity unless the person transferring the pistol or revolver knows that the person acquiring the pistol or revolver would be disqualified from obtaining a permit.
3. The annual permit to acquire pistols or revolvers shall authorize the permit holder to acquire one or more pistols or revolvers during the period that the permit remains valid. If the issuing officer determines that the applicant has become disqualified under the provisions of subsection 1, the issuing officer may immediately revoke the permit and shall provide a written statement of the reasons for revocation, and the applicant shall have the right to appeal the revocation as provided in section 724.21A.
c. Prohibited by court order from possessing, shipping, transporting, or receiving a firearm.
d. Ineligible to possess dangerous weapons pursuant to section 724.8B.
e. Intoxicated as provided under the conditions set out in section 321J.2, subsection 1.
3. An issuing officer who finds that a person issued a permit to acquire pistols or revolvers under this chapter has been arrested for a disqualifying offense or is the subject of proceedings that could lead to the person’s ineligibility for such permit may immediately suspend such permit. An issuing officer proceeding under this subsection shall immediately notify the permit holder of the suspension by personal service or certified mail on a form prescribed and published by the commissioner of public safety and the suspension shall become effective upon the permit holder’s receipt of such notice. If the suspension is based on an arrest or a proceeding that does not result in a disqualifying conviction or finding against the permit holder, the issuing officer shall immediately reinstate the permit upon receipt of proof of the matter’s final disposition. If the arrest leads to a disqualifying conviction or the proceedings to a disqualifying finding, the issuing officer shall revoke the permit. The issuing officer may also revoke the permit of a person whom the issuing officer later finds was not qualified for such a permit at the time of issuance or whom the officer finds provided materially false information on the permit application. A person aggrieved by a suspension or revocation under this subsection may seek review of the decision pursuant to section 724.21A.
90 Acts, ch 1147, §2, 3; 2010 Acts, ch 1178, §12, 19
90 Acts, ch 1147, §2, 3; 2010 Acts, ch 1178, §12, 19; 2017 Acts, ch 69, §18 – 20; 2021 Acts, ch 35, §2; 2021 Acts, ch 174, §29; 2025 Acts, ch 27, §2, 3
Referred to in
For transition provisions relating to permits issued under this chapter prior to January 1, 2011, see 2010 Acts, ch 1178, §18
Subsection 1 amended
Subsection 2, paragraph a amended
Official source: Iowa Legislature. Reproduced from public-domain Iowa statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.