Iowa law governing non-professional permits to carry weapons changed Jan. 1, 2011. A major change was that Iowa went from a “may issue” state to a “shall issue” state.
Before 2011, individual county sheriffs had discretion to deny permit applications for any reason or for no reason. After the law change, sheriffs are required to issue permits to qualified applicants who have met the training requirements and passed a background check, unless that applicant is disqualified by law.
Another change was that permits were issued for a five year period, rather than for one year, as formerly.
Permit holders whose five-year permit expires in the coming months face some changes in renewal requirements. To renew a current permit, the applicant must provide evidence of completion of handgun safety training, certain other firearm training, or the applicant may choose to qualify in a regular course of live fire under the supervision of a certified instructor.
A typical course of fire for qualification is ten at 21 to 25 feet. Many gun clubs will be holding qualifications periodically to accommodate those whose permits expire in the next 12 months. Permit holders who qualify under an instructor should present their signed qualification certificates at the time of renewal application. Certificates are good for 12 months.
Iowa permit law requires that an application for the renewal of a current permit must be received by the sheriff’s office at least 30 days before the expiration date to be eligible for the statutory $25 renewal fee.
Applications received later than 30 days before the permit expiration date will be considered applications for a new permit and the statutory new permit issuance fee is $50.
For dates and locations of qualifications in the area, call 641-203-5296. For more answers to frequently asked questions, go online at dps.state.ia.us./SF2379/FAQ.