Moving from Nebraska to Iowa

[Workman]

Is there anything someone would need to worry about concerning firearms? 

[RLMoeller]

Don't have any NFA items do you?

[Workman]

...Not yet.

[shooter]

 you wont if you move to Iowa

[David Hineline]

Forget NFA, forget hunting with a rifle, super easy and cheap to get a carry permit, your status of your carry permit is public information available to anyone. Des Moines paper sometimes prints a lost of carry permit holders, an Iowa permit is a weapon permit, not limited to handgun like in NE so it covers weapons, you can not let any person under 14yrs of age handle or train with a handgun, Trigger activation devices and trigger cranks to increase the rate of fire are illegal.  Not sure how they look at the whole bump fire stock thing.

That seems to me to be the biggest things.

[Kendahl]

The Iowa Firearms Coalition (iowacarry.org) should be able to answer your questions. They were the people who pushed to change Iowa from "may issue" to "shall issue" for carry permits.

[OnTheFly]

Forget NFA, forget hunting with a rifle, super easy and cheap to get a carry permit, your status of your carry permit is public information available to anyone. Des Moines paper sometimes prints a lost of carry permit holders, an Iowa permit is a weapon permit, not limited to handgun like in NE so it covers weapons, you can not let any person under 14yrs of age handle or train with a handgun, Trigger activation devices and trigger cranks to increase the rate of fire are illegal.  Not sure how they look at the whole bump fire stock thing.

That seems to me to be the biggest things.

Wow!  I had no idea California was so close to Nebraska.  Just another reason I won't move to Iowa.  And on top of all that, they are usually the one midwest swing state that regularly F____s us in national elections.

Fly

[Kendahl]

I had no idea California was so close to Nebraska.

Iowa, like Nebraska, is a far cry from California. (There is also a difference between rural California, which is relatively pro-gun and the major population centers. Ditto for Illinois which should be divided between Chicago and the rest of the state.)

There are differences between Iowa and Nebraska, but it's impossible to pick one as better than the other.

• Iowa requires a permit for any kind of carry, including open carry.
• Iowa had concealed carry decades before Nebraska. Unfortunately, it was "may issue" and varied from one county to another depending on the attitude of the incumbent sheriff. Some sheriffs would grant permits but loaded them down with restrictions that made them worthless. (Iowa is now "shall issue" with no local restrictions.) A permit granted by a pro-gun sheriff was valid everywhere in the state including anti-gun counties.
• Until recently, a resident alien (green card holder) could not register a handgun in Omaha or obtain a Nebraska CHP. Resident aliens have always been eligible in Iowa.
• Previously, Iowa honored no other state's permits. Now, it honors all.
• Iowa required a permit to purchase a handgun long before Nebraska.
• "No guns" signs do not have the force of law in Iowa. The most they can do is ban you from their property and charge you with trespassing if you fail to leave.
• Carry is legal in Iowa bars. You can consume alcohol in moderation while carrying. The limit is a BAC of 0.08, the same as for driving.
• Iowa has some weird game laws which can be a problem. Examples are loaded magazines not inserted into a firearm and carrying while riding a snowmobile.