“According to court records, Taquala Howse, now 25, was handcuffed and taken to a police officer’s vehicle after she was identified as a theft suspect at the store,” desmoinesregister.com reports. “Waterloo officer Kyle Jurgensen searched her purse and found a small hand-held stun gun, which Howse said she carried for her own security when she went to nightclubs. She did not have a gun permit and was charged with going armed with a dangerous weapon, an aggravated misdemeanor under Iowa law.” Regardless of the fact that police tested the stun gun and found it non-functional, Iowa law is clear on possession . . .

The state Supreme Court’s opinion, written by Justice Bruce Zager and filed Friday, concludes that the Legislature amended state law in 2008 to include as a dangerous weapon “any portable device or weapon directing an electric current, impulse, wave, or beam that produces a high-voltage pulse designed to immobilize a person.

Here in Texas it’s illegal to use a stun gun — for anything other than self-defense. No permit required. Does your state infringe on residents’ natural, civil and Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear stun guns (i.e. arms)?  Click here for a page linking to all 50 states’ stun gun laws. Suffice it to say, BS.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

45 COMMENTS

  1. Non-working! Well what if you went in with a Pop-Tart chewed in the shape of a gun but it was missing the filling?
    What then?? Some of these laws are really just outrageous.

  3. It’s dumb. I think we need a permit to carry bricks. If I’m carrying a brick around – I should have a permit. I could do more damage with a brick than a stun gun.

      • Unions have gone the way of Feminism…

        Started out as something great, and did really important things. Then, over time, ran out of important things to fight for, but, refused to let go out of self interest. Ultimately turning into a big group of whiny, self righteous b*tches looking for sh*t to complain about.

      • To carry the brick you need to be in the Hod Carriers union. To use the brick you have to be in the Brick Layers union.

        To carry a HiPoint you need to be in both unions and have a ccw.

  4. “…any portable device or weapon directing an electric current, impulse, wave, or beam that produces a high-voltage pulse designed to immobilize a person.”

    Not a lawyer, but my layman’s interpretation of the wording above indicates an argument by her defense attorney that since the “portable device or weapon” was incapable of “directing an electric current [etc.]” at the time of her arrest that it does not fall under the prohibition of the law and her case should be dismissed.

    Maybe I watch I watch too much Law & Order.

    • Not only that, but cheap handheld stun guns are not capable of immobilizing a person for any period of time. Only true TASERs can do that. Even fully functional it doesn’t fit the description in the law.

  5. Gee….it looks like stun guns are more heavily regulated than long guns in Indiana. It appears a handgun permit is required.

  6. I knew a guy who was a convicted non-violent felon on probation, who got busted back to prison for owning a non-functional (demilled) Lee Enfield. It was a souvenier given to him that was originally brought back by a relative who was stationed in England during the 50’s. The rifle had a ground firing-pin, no magazine innards, and a plugged barrel (which was a brass plug pressed deep into a counterbored muzzle).
    The cops were initially responding to a report he made about his car being burglarized, and asked to step inside to do their paperwork. One of them saw the rifle propped up next to the fireplace and asked to inspect it.

    My buddy, thinking because the rifle was a non-functional souveneir and the cop was simply a fan of Lee Enfields, allowed it. So the officer picked it up, ran the bolt a few times, dry fired it, handed it to his partner, and then arrested the guy for being a felon in posession of a firearm.

    Neither of them cared (or believed) that it was demilled; neither did the judge, who said that it was easily & readily restorable to firing condition, and he was sent to prison for 10 years.

    • NEVER invite a cop into your home or your car. Especially not most of today’s crop of affirmative action or ( even worse ), the wannabe’s that want to pad their felony arrest numbers with low hanging fruit like this.

  7. Iowa Code 702.7 which defines ‘dangerous weapon’ clearly includes ‘or any portable device or weapon directing an electric current, impulse, wave, or beam that produces a high-voltage pulse designed to immobilize a person.’

    However, Code 702.7 also includes ‘knife having a blade exceeding five inches in length’ for which Iowa Code 724.4 on firearms and carry permits says,
    ‘3. A person who goes armed with a knife concealed on or about the person, if the person does not use the knife in the commission of a crime:
    a. If the knife has a blade exceeding eight inches in length, commits an aggravated misdemeanor.
    b. If the knife has a blade exceeding five inches but not exceeding eight inches in length, commits a serious misdemeanor.’

    Carrying a firearm without a permit gets you the same aggravated misdemeanor that an 8″+ knife does. Iowa Code 724 does not mention tasers, electric devices, high-voltage pulse, etc, so I’m not sure why the aggravated misdemeanor as opposed to the serious misdemeanor for carrying a 5″-8″ knife.

    Of course the founding fathers could have never imagined tasers so the 2nd Amendment doesn’t apply since tasers are not flintlock muskets.

    • I don’t know if you follow the Iowa Supreme Court. But if so, you have to admit they varmints have a lonnnng track record of wacko PC decision.

      Fortunately in Iowa judges have to stand for reelection periodically, so the citizen has the nuke option of throwing the bums out. Rare but it happen if the sufficiently piss off the citizens

      • Yes, I believe after 8 years they have to be confirmed by the IA voters. I voted no the last time I recall seeing the justices on the ballot. I believe 3(?) of them got booted.

        This may have been a black and white case, but when I obtained my weapons carry permit I made a point to become thoroughly familiar with the IA carry laws. I’m not sure where this is defined as an aggravated misdemeanor as opposed to the lesser serious misdemeanor. I did have the opportunity once to inform a young (25ish) woman that she needed a carry permit for her taser or she could be in deep do-do. Most people don’t even think of there being a law concerning less lethal weapons.

  9. Wow-flucked up. Yep stun guns regulated in my state of Illinois. Every freakin’ thing is regulated… Gotta’ have a FOID card-which I do. That’s just evil of Iowa…

  10. If you don’t go around stealing stuff while carrying a concealed weapon, I might have some sympathy for your claims that you have a basic right to self defense tools.

    • Every person, criminal or not, even murderers, have the natural right to defend their own life.

      However…the commission of a crime, and especially the commission of any violent crime, gives your intended victim greater latitude in their own actions for self defense against you without legal repercussions.

      • Not legally. If you pull a gun on a mugger and he pulls his own and manages to kill you, he didn’t have a right to do that.

        • Semantics is a tricky subject. Said mugger had every right, natural, civil and Constitutionally protected, to defend his own life by whatever means necessary, the same as everybody else. He did NOT have a right to mug you, which is a criminal act.

          The fact that he was committing a criminal act is what changes the legal outcome, not the fact that he was defending his life. Even if/when he is arrested, tried, convicted of killing you and sent to prison there is no requirement that while in prison for murder he can never defend himself, by whatever means he finds to hand, against any attack on his person. The right of self defense does not hinge on any man-made or government permitted sense of legality, nor does it guarantee the person who was legally in the right will prevail in a mutual contest.

  11. Were these laws written by legislators or bureaucrats? If the former, time to clean house. If the latter, time for the legislature to clean house.

    • In this case, I am going to take a wild guess and suggest that these laws were probably written by rich, white Democrats who have bodyguards provided to them graciously by the taxpaying citizens – Oh, I mean – taxpaying SUBJECTS in their state.

  12. Look, Democrats know that only important people like politicians, celebrities and their friends deserve to be able to protect themselves.

    Why would a young, beautiful black girl need such protection?

    The statements above would be sarcasm if they were not true. And by the way, unless a criminal has forfeited his or her right to life, they still have a right to protect it.

  14. All the good stuff needs a Permit to Carry Weapons here in Iowa. Having said that, the electronic stuff is not on the short list of any weapons experts that I know including me.

  15. Here in Michigan you need to have a Concealed Pistol License just to buy/own a sun gun/Taser, and take a 4 hour class.

    • Not correct.
      When purchasing a hand gun a background check is done at a dealer or at the police station . No CPL required. Open carry is easy in Michigan.
      Commonly called a ccw, is correctly called a cpl…concealed pistol license. It DOES NOT COVER ANY OTHER FORM OF WEAPON FOR CONCEALED CARRY.

    • “just checking some insulation in my spare time, officer. Safety first you know…”. I think an crank-up field phone might work too.

    • I prefer to carry my hi-pot. weighs 80 lbs or so, but much more effective than my megger. (side note, a hi-pot lead with a tiny scratch in the insulation burned off a piece of my thumb and put my heart in arrhythmia about 6 years ago, so maybe less than lethal, and maybe not. be careful with your testing equipment kids.)

  17. Who would’ve guessed someone named “Taquala” would have committed a crime while in the possession of a non-functioning “weapon” one for which she did not have the requisite permit? Surely NOT me.

    “Stereotypes”, damn if you can’t help but love ’em.

  18. Additionally here in Michigan, anything other than a pistol being carried concealed in a vehicle or on a person requires a ccw ( concealed weapons permit). The wording is minor the the meaning and penalties for breaking this law are major. IE…a long gun CAN NOT be carried in a vehicle unless broken down, in a case, unloaded and out of easy reach.
    The wording is deliberately vague to give latitude to law enforcement, attorneys, and judges.

    • I think you meant to say there’s no such thing as a concealed weapons permit in Michigan. It’s a concealed pistol license, and a pistol is the only thing it licenses you to conceal, and anywhere in a vehicle except unloaded and cased is considered concealed.

  20. We need more laws,then more criminals, n some more laws until were all on probation or parole . Fill the prisons, fillem full of 25 year old girls n old men, grandmas n granddads, mothers,childeren, dogs,cats,n goldfish too. Laws have been broken,more laws until we become totally dependant on our government to protect us from ourselves.Laws against everything except passing laws.laws against looking up laws.laws against religion, laws against family,laws against private ownership, laws against free speach, game laws, nongame laws, walking,running, jumping, laws againts big booties bumping. America just cant be free without more laws

  22. It has vexed me since reading the statutes years ago that seemingly less “dangerous” weapons such as switch blades, knuckle dusters/brass knuckles, and stun guns are illegal to carry in CT even after the effort to acquire a pistol permit has been made.

Comments are closed.