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SF 462

A bill for an act relating to weapons, including mandatory minimum sentences relating to the control, possession, receipt, or transportation of a firearm or offensive weapon by a felon, and the sharing of identifying information of persons prohibited from acquiring a pistol or revolver by court order, and providing penalties.

2025-2026 Regular Session

Boosts mandatory minimums for felons in possession/transport of firearms, reduces court discretion, and repeals the duty to report pistol prohibitions to DPS/NICS.

Signed by Governor.
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Bill Summary · SF 462

Summary — SF 462 (Chapter 104, 2025)

Status: Signed by Governor (May 27, 2025).
Introduced: February 27, 2025.
Primary code sections affected: Amends Iowa Code §724.26(1); repeals Iowa Code §724.31A.

Purpose

To increase criminal penalties for felons who control, possess, receive, or transport a firearm or offensive weapon and to repeal the statutory provision governing the sharing of identifying information of persons prohibited by court order from acquiring a pistol or revolver.

Key provisions

  1. Amendments to §724.26(1) — Mandatory minimums for felons in possession/control/receipt/transportation of a firearm or offensive weapon:

    • Applicability: A person convicted of a felony (state or federal) or adjudicated delinquent for conduct that would be a felony as an adult.
    • Penalty structure (offense number counted across convictions):
      • 1st offense: Class D felony; indeterminate term up to 5 years; mandatory minimum confinement 2 years.
      • 2nd offense: Class D felony; indeterminate term up to 5 years; mandatory minimum confinement 4 years.
      • 3rd offense: Class C felony; indeterminate term up to 10 years; mandatory minimum confinement 7 years.
      • 4th or subsequent offense: Class C felony; indeterminate term up to 10 years; mandatory minimum confinement 10 years.
    • Judicial limits:
      • Court shall not defer judgment or sentencing or suspend execution of any mandatory minimum imposed under this subsection.
      • Exception: the court may suspend execution of a mandatory minimum imposed for a first offense only upon the recommendation of the county attorney.
    • Earned time:
      • Earned time may be credited against the indeterminate term but may not reduce any mandatory minimum term of confinement.

  2. Repeal of §724.31A:

    • Current §724.31A (prior law) required district court clerks to forward identifying information about persons court-ordered to be prohibited from acquiring pistols/revolvers to the Department of Public Safety (DPS), which then forwarded the information to the FBI/NICS for inclusion; it also set out procedures for notifying DPS and DOJ when prohibitions ended.
    • SF 462 repeals that statutory requirement (removes §724.31A from the Code).

Who is affected

  • Persons with prior felony convictions (or delinquency adjudications equivalent to felonies) who knowingly possess, control, receive, or transport firearms or offensive weapons.
  • Courts and prosecutors (new limits on suspending mandatory minimums; county attorney may recommend suspension for first offenses).
  • Department of Corrections (will implement longer mandatory minimum terms and indeterminate terms).
  • Agencies involved in firearm-prohibition reporting (the repeal removes the statutory mechanism by which district courts forwarded prohibitory orders to DPS and NICS).

Procedural notes / timeline

  • Introduced: Feb 27, 2025.
  • Committee and floor actions: passed Senate and House (Senate concurred with House amendment S‑3146); amendments H‑1242 and S‑3146 were incorporated in the enrolled bill.
  • Enrolled and signed by Governor Kim Reynolds: May 27, 2025 (approved as Chapter 104).

Practical implications (neutral observations)

  • The bill substantially increases mandatory minimum confinement for repeat felon-in-possession offenses and restricts judicial discretion to avoid or suspend those minimums (limited exception for first offenses).
  • Repeal of §724.31A removes a specific statutory process for reporting court-ordered pistol/revolver prohibitions to the state Department of Public Safety and onward to the FBI/NICS; implementation effects depend on whether other administrative mechanisms remain in place.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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