Traveling to Iowa from Wisconsin without permit

Hey there,
I have been having a bit of a discussion with a friend and I will be visiting for a few days in Coralville, IA and I would like to open carry while I am there. The question is that as a Wisconsin resident can I legally open carry, in the proper areas, without any sort of Iowa permit?

Iowa Code Annotated Chapter 724.4 Carrying Firearms

1. Except as otherwise provided in this section, a person who
goes armed with a dangerous weapon concealed on or about the person,
or who, within the limits of any city, goes armed with a pistol or
revolver, or any loaded firearm of any kind, whether concealed or
not, or who knowingly carries or transports in a vehicle a pistol or
revolver, commits an aggravated misdemeanor.

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It appears you can carry openly outside city limits with no permit, and that carry of any sort inside city limits requires an Iowa permit (I don't know if Iowa has reciprocity, and I'm too lazy to go look it up for you, so i'll saw "iowa permit" to be on the safe side)

If you have a WI permit, Iowa recognizes them, you just have to follow the same rules as a person with an Iowa permit.

If you dont have a WI permit, you cant carry in Iowa.

Kromwell said:

If you have a OUT OF STATE permit, Iowa recognizes them, you just have to follow the same rules as a person with an Iowa permit.

If you dont have a OUT OF STATEpermit, you cant carry in Iowa.

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Made that more accurate. A non-resident may carry in Iowa with ANY state permit -- state-of-residence is not required.


I do have to ask, though, why you don't you just get a permit so that you can carry almost everywhere? Makes things much easier.

amaixner said:

Made that more accurate. A non-resident may carry in Iowa with ANY state permit -- state-of-residence is not required.


I do have to ask, though, why you don't you just get a permit so that you can carry almost everywhere? Makes things much easier.

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Since the question was in regards to WI and Iowa specifically, that's how I answered it.

tbo said:

Hey there,
I have been having a bit of a discussion with a friend and I will be visiting for a few days in Coralville, IA and I would like to open carry while I am there. The question is that as a Wisconsin resident can I legally open carry, in the proper areas, without any sort of Iowa permit?

Click to expand...

Do you have a permit from any other state? A permit from Florida or Arizona seems easy enough to obtain, those would allow open carry in city limits. As pointed out above a permit from any state is recognized in Iowa. Open carry on private property and outside city limits is okay without a permit.

I'll just warn you about Iowa's hunting law, game officers take poaching seriously and they get to decide whether or not you are "hunting" or not. Open carry on private property is legal but if they see you walking out in the country while armed they might stop you. A small game license might be cheap insurance against that.

Another thing I feel I should mention is that it appears that a permit is required to carry in a vehicle while on public roads. Iowa's vehicle carry laws are a bit more lax than the federal law so if you choose to take a firearm with you for hunting or target shooting then check on Iowa's transport law.