Options to possess a gun when living in a gun-unfriendly apartment? (IA)

I imagine that it would be easier to give you an answer if we knew what school it was... From handgunlaw.com:

681-9.1(2)(g), 681.13.14(5) & 681-13.19(262) of the Iowa Administrative Code:
State Universities. Prohibits use or possession of firearms, ammunition, or other dangerous weapons,
substances, or materials (except as expressly authorized by the university), or of bombs, explosives, or
explosive or incendiary devices prohibited by law on the campus of the three state universities (U of I, Iowa
State, UNI) or at or during any university-authorized function or event by any person, student, member of the
faculty or staff.

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Then, the question is whether the apartment is considered to be part of campus or not.

Or is this part of your 'housing agreement' ? If it's part of the agreement which is volunteerily signed, it may not be 'illegal' but could get your lease canceled.

If it is not illegal, you should be asking if your life is less valuable than your ability to live in this place.
It's very often not illegal for people to be armed in certain environments, but against some sort of policy (work, school, etc). I am old enough and have been in enough armed conflicts to think of these policies as "nonsense" that I promptly ignore.
I'm not saying this is for you, but with so very many shootings on campuses that don't allow guns by policy, not law, I'm saddened by the unarmed condition of those victims.

"what do you think?" Never a good policy. Especially when guns are involved. J s/n.

Again, it seems to be a question not of "legality" but of the apartment complex policy. What does your rental agreement say? Does it forbid firearms only in the dwelling or on all complex property (including the parking lot). Given what's a stake, your continued enrollment in the university, you need to get a firm determination of the policy. Not an answer you can get here. Some people are reluctant to leave a firearm in a vehicle even in a portable safe with a hardened attachment. I'd risk it rather than be unarmed.

I have not been able to find that Iowa's CCW law has a 'safe harbor' provision for weapons locked in cars in parking lots attached to gun-prohibiting places. Illinois does have such a provision, but it doesn't appear that Iowa's ccw law does. Iowa honors CCW permits from all states, so you could perhaps rent a storage locker for your weapon off campus if you wanted. "No Gun" provisions in college town leases are getting quite common--probably because landlords feel they would have some shield from liability in case of an issue arising from a tenant having a firearm. In your case the threat of sanction from the university is also attached for breaking the policy. Does the university offer weapon storage at the University police office? While I never stored a weapon there, my university did offer storage for weapons. Again, something to think about.

I'll say this: the apartment management cannot legally search your vehicle. While they can enter your apartment for an inspection with 24 hours notice, or immediately in an emergency, your vehicle is immune. It would take a police warrant to search your vehicle.

In other words, if it's completely out of sight, they have no legal right to determine what you do or do not have in your vehicle. They can prohibit it all they want, but that does not give them the legal right to search your car.

WardenWolf said:

I'll say this: the apartment management cannot legally search your vehicle. While they can enter your apartment for an inspection with 24 hours notice, or immediately in an emergency, your vehicle is immune. It would take a police warrant to search your vehicle.

In other words, if it's completely out of sight, they have no legal right to determine what you do or do not have in your vehicle. They can prohibit it all they want, but that does not give them the legal right to search your car.

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I am pretty sure that they cannot sift through his stuff in the apartment though. An apartment inspection is to check for damages, not to go through his drawers.

I say it is safer on you or in the apartment than the car.

Tactical Lever said:

I am pretty sure that they cannot sift through his stuff in the apartment though. An apartment inspection is to check for damages, not to go through his drawers.

I say it is safer on you or in the apartment than the car.

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Maybe so, but I've heard of apartment owners inventing emergencies in order to gain access during the day when the tenant wasn't around. In this situation, it's better if it's located somewhere they cannot even legally be.

WardenWolf said:

Maybe so, but I've heard of apartment owners inventing emergencies in order to gain access during the day when the tenant wasn't around. In this situation, it's better if it's located somewhere they cannot even legally be.

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True, but I was just thinking that it is a little more common for a car to be broken into. Then be out a gun and explain to the police where the car was parked in addition to the other hardships.

Frank Ettin said:

An inspection of the premises or a search of a vehicle is not the only way in which a landlord could discover that one is keeping a gun in violation of a lease or rental agreement. Such things get found out in all sorts of ways one might not immediately anticipate.

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Keep in mind, however, that since a lease is a legally binding document they typically would have to be able to prove any violation in order to take action. You have to have a valid legal case for eviction or any other action, and this requires documented evidence.

Wait wait wait...."The apartment is NOT on-campus, but the agreement I signed states that disobeying the weapons policy could result in dismissal from the university."

So your staying in an apartment, not on campus and affiliated with the school however they are going to report you to the school for a weapons violation?

I think the problem here is that you keep conflating "the law" (what is legal to do) with "the contract" (what is allowed in your rental agreement). There's a difference. Violations of the contract will get you evicted. Violations of the law will get you arrested. It's legal to own a dog. Owning a dog in an apartment with a no-pets clause will get you evicted.

So, if I were you, I'd stop looking at Iowa law and start reading your lease.

P.S. I'm curious why violating your lease would get you expelled from the University. Is it a University-owned apartment off-campus?

If the gun is not allowed on campus, does that include the parking areas? You may not have a choice but to bring the firearm into the apartment and, frankly, what good is it to you locked in a safe in your car when you are in your apartment? For that matter, I'm not sure what good it is in the vehicle either if it is locked in a safe.

It would probably require an attorney with a copy of the actual law, school policies, and a copy of your lease to give you a definite answer. My guess is that is it applies to your apt, then it applies to the parking lot, gym, laundry room, etc. (premises). There is also the option of storing it at a trusted friend's place off-campus (not ideal, this is what we did in the mil since we couldn't be trusted with guns in the barracks, but in the field, off post, etc. they were fine- don't get me started).

How about renting a small safe deposit box at a local bank? Not the most easy to access, but really inexpensive and private. Just a passing thought...