Section 661.91.1. Definitions.

The following definitions apply to rules in this chapter:

“Addicted to the use of alcohol” means physiological or psychological dependence on the continued use of alcohol, or a maladaptive pattern of alcohol use leading to significant occupational, educational, familial, social, legal, or health-related problems.

Alcohol addiction does not mean nonpathological alcohol use, such as social drinking or occasional or periodic intoxication not accompanied by disruption in social and family relationships, vocational or financial difficulties, or legal problems. Alcohol addiction also does not mean alcohol dependence with sustained full remission, as evidenced by a period of at least 12 months without instances or indicators of alcohol dependence or alcohol abuse. One or more instances of alcohol intoxication alone shall not constitute alcohol addiction, unless accompanied by alcohol dependence or a maladaptive pattern of alcohol use leading to significant occupational, educational, familial, social, legal, or health-related problems.

Any of the following shall create a presumption that a person is addicted to the use of alcohol:

        1.            Affirmation by the person that the person is addicted to the use of alcohol and has not achieved sustained full remission;

        2.            Treatment for alcohol dependence, abuse, or addiction within the last 12 months, not including follow-up treatment or attendance at support groups during a period of sustained full remission;

        3.            A diagnosis of alcohol dependence or alcohol abuse from a properly licensed medical or psychological professional in the past 12 months;

        4.            Two or more arrests, at least one of which resulted in a conviction, for unlawful use or possession of alcohol or other criminal act committed while under the influence of alcohol in the past 12 months;

        5.            Three or more arrests, at least one of which resulted in a conviction, for unlawful use or possession of alcohol or other criminal act committed while under the influence of alcohol in the past five years if the most recent arrest occurred in the past 12 months;

        6.            Disciplinary action taken by any employer or organization for prohibited use or possession of alcohol in the past 12 months;

        7.            Failure to successfully complete alcohol rehabilitation or treatment in the past 12 months;

        8.            One or more instances of founded child or dependent adult abuse related to alcohol use in the past five years;

        9.            A test of the person’s breath, blood, urine, or other bodily fluid which indicates that the person has engaged in unlawful acts involving alcohol, provided that the test was administered within the past 12 months; or

        10.           Documented reports or information from at least two credible sources that evidence a pattern of conduct indicating that the person is currently addicted to the use of alcohol as defined herein.

“Adjudicated as a mental defective” means a determination by a court, board, commission, or other lawful authority that a person, as a result of marked subnormal intelligence, or mental illness, incompetency, condition, or disease:

        1.            Is a danger to the person’s self or to others; or

        2.            Lacks the mental capacity to contract or manage the person’s own affairs.

The term shall include:

        ●             A finding of insanity by a court in a criminal case; and

        ●             Those persons found incompetent to stand trial or found not guilty by reason of lack of mental responsibility.

“Applicant” means a person who is applying for a permit to carry weapons.

“Background check” means an inquiry through the IOWA system to NICS, the IOWA and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) systems person files and the driver’s license file of the applicant as well as other available sources of information to be used to determine eligibility.

“Commissioner” means the commissioner of the Iowa department of public safety or, as applicable, the commissioner’s designee.

“Committed to a mental institution” means a formal commitment of a person to a mental institution by a court, board, commission, or other lawful authority. The term includes a commitment to a mental institution involuntarily either as an inpatient or outpatient. The term includes commitment for mental defectiveness or mental illness. It also includes commitments for other reasons, such as for drug or alcohol abuse. The term does not include admission to a mental institution for observation or a voluntary admission to a mental institution.

“Crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year” means any federal or state offense for which the maximum penalty, whether or not imposed, is capital punishment or imprisonment in excess of one year. The term shall not include any federal or state offenses pertaining to antitrust violations, unfair trade practices, restraints of trade, or other similar offenses relating to the regulation of business practices or any state offense classified by the laws of the state as a misdemeanor and punishable by a term of imprisonment of two years or less. What constitutes a conviction of such a crime shall be determined in accordance with the law of the jurisdiction in which the proceedings were held. Any conviction which has been expunged or set aside or for which a person has been pardoned or has had civil rights restored shall not be considered a conviction unless such pardon, expunction, or restoration of civil rights expressly provides that the person may not ship, transport, possess, or receive firearms, or unless the person is prohibited by the law of the jurisdiction in which the proceedings were held from receiving or possessing any firearms.

“Felony” means any crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year as defined in this rule or any crime involving a firearm or explosive that is punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year and is classified as a misdemeanor under the laws of this state.

“Firearm training documentation” means a photocopy of a certificate of completion or any similar document indicating completion of any firearm training program course; an affidavit from the instructor, school, organization or group that conducted or taught a firearm training program; a copy of or the display of an honorable discharge or general discharge under honorable conditions or Form DD-214 for personnel released or retired from active duty with the armed forces of the United States; or possession of a certificate of completion of basic training with a service record of successful completion of small arms training and qualification for active duty personnel in the armed forces of the United States. For a renewal application, firearm training documentation also includes documentation of qualifying on a firing range under the supervision of an instructor certified by the National Rifle Association or the Iowa law enforcement academy or another state’s department of public safety, state police department, or similar certifying body.

“Firearm training program” means any National Rifle Association handgun safety training course; any handgun safety training course available to the general public utilizing instructors certified by the National Rifle Association or the Iowa law enforcement academy or another state’s department of public safety, state police department, or similar certifying body; any handgun safety training course offered for security guards, investigators, special deputies, or any division or subdivision of a law enforcement or security enforcement agency approved by the Iowa department of public safety; or completion of small arms training while serving with the armed forces of the United States. Any person or entity seeking approval by the Iowa department of public safety for a handgun safety training course offered for security guards, investigators, special deputies, or any division or subdivision of a law enforcement or security enforcement agency, other than those certified by the National Rifle Association or the Iowa law enforcement academy or courses conducted by instructors certified by the National Rifle Association or the Iowa law enforcement academy, shall submit a detailed description of the course content to the commissioner for review. Any handgun safety training course submitted for review shall be reviewed by the commissioner to determine if the course is substantially equivalent to the Iowa law enforcement academy marksmanship qualification course.

“Identification documentation for an Iowa resident” means any of the following:

        1.            A driver’s license or nonoperator identification card that contains a photograph of the person and that has been issued by the Iowa department of transportation; or

        2.            A motor vehicle license or nonoperator identification card that contains a photograph of the person and that has been issued by a state other than Iowa and at least one current document indicating Iowa residency, including a residential lease agreement, utility bill, voter registration, tuition receipt for a college or university in Iowa, or other documentation that is acceptable to the officer issuing the permit and that indicates the intent of the person’s presence in Iowa is something other than merely transitory in nature; or

        3.            A document which contains the name, place of residence, date of birth and photograph of the holder issued by or under the authority of the United States, a state or a political subdivision of a state and which is of a type intended or commonly accepted for the purpose of identification of individuals and at least one current document indicating Iowa residency, including a residential lease agreement, utility bill, voter registration, tuition receipt for a college or university in Iowa, or other documentation that is acceptable to the officer issuing the permit and that indicates the intent of the person’s presence in Iowa is something other than merely transitory in nature; or

        4.            A motor vehicle license or nonoperator identification card that contains a photograph of the person and that has been issued by a state other than Iowa and a document indicating that the person is a member of the United States armed forces on active duty and whose permanent duty station is located in Iowa; or

        5.            A driver’s license or nonoperator identification card that contains a photograph of the person and that has been issued by the Iowa department of transportation and an immigration document containing the alien registration number (ARN) of a permanent resident alien or nonimmigrant alien and documentation indicating that the person has resided in the state for at least 90 consecutive days prior to the person’s making application. A nonimmigrant alien shall also be required to display a valid hunting license issued in any state, meet the requirements of an exception pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 922(y)(2), or display a waiver granted by the United States Attorney General.

“Identification documentation for a nonresident” means a motor vehicle license or nonoperator identification card which has been issued by a state other than Iowa and which contains a photograph of the person to whom it was issued.

“IOWA system” means the Iowa on-line warrants and articles criminal justice information system operated by the Iowa department of public safety for use by law enforcement and criminal justice agencies in the exchange of criminal history and other criminal justice information.

“Misdemeanor crime of domestic violence”  means an offense that:

        1.            Is a misdemeanor under federal or state law; and

        2.            Has, as an element, the use or attempted use of physical force, or the threatened use of a deadly weapon, committed by a current or former spouse, parent, or guardian of the victim, by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common, by a person who is cohabiting with or has cohabited with the victim as a spouse, parent, or guardian, or by a person similarly situated to a spouse, parent, or guardian of the victim.

“New application” means an application for an Iowa professional permit to carry weapons that is filed when the applicant does not currently hold an Iowa permit to carry weapons or when the applicant does not file the application at least 30 days prior to the expiration of a currently held Iowa permit to carry weapons.

“NICS” means the National Instant Criminal Background Check System established by the United States Attorney General pursuant to United States Code 18 U.S.C. § 922(t).

“Professional permit to carry weapons” means a permit to carry weapons issued to a person whose employment in a private investigation business or private security business licensed under Iowa Code chapter 80A, or whose employment as a peace officer, correctional officer with the Iowa department of corrections, private security officer, bank messenger or other person transporting property of a value requiring security, or whose employment in police work reasonably justifies that person’s going armed. Property of value includes large quantities of cash transported in an armored car, negotiable instruments, gems, other high-value items transported by couriers, and other high-value property that may be vulnerable. Such a permit is valid only while the permitted person is engaged in the employment stated on the permit and while the person is traveling to and from that employment.

“Qualifying on a firing range” means successful completion of a course of live fire on a firing range under the supervision of an instructor certified by the National Rifle Association, the Iowa law enforcement academy, or another state’s department of public safety, state police department, or similar certifying body.

“Renewal application” means an application for an Iowa professional permit to carry weapons filed at least 30 days prior to the expiration of a currently held permit.

“State employee” means a person whose need to go armed arises out of employment by the state of Iowa. “State employee” includes a railroad special agent as described in Iowa Code chapter 80.

“Unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance” means a person who uses a controlled substance and has lost the power of self-control with reference to the use of the controlled substance or any person who is a current user of a controlled substance in a manner other than as prescribed by a licensed physician. Such use is not limited to the use of drugs on a particular day, or within a matter of days or weeks before, but rather that the unlawful use has occurred recently enough to indicate that the individual is actively engaged in such conduct. A person may be an unlawful current user of a controlled substance even though the substance is not being used at the precise time the person applies for an Iowa permit to carry weapons or seeks to acquire a firearm or receives or possesses a firearm. An inference of current use may be drawn from evidence of a recent use or possession of a controlled substance or a pattern of use or possession that reasonably covers the present time, e.g., a conviction for use or possession of a controlled substance within the past year; multiple arrests for such offenses within the past five years if the most recent arrest occurred within the past year; or persons found through a drug test to use a controlled substance unlawfully, provided that the test was administered within the past year. For a current or former member of the armed forces, an inference of current use may be drawn from recent disciplinary or other administrative action based on confirmed drug use, e.g., court-martial conviction, nonjudicial punishment, or an administrative discharge based on drug use or drug rehabilitation failure.

[ARC 9238B, IAB 11/17/10, effective 1/1/11]