(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled a 14 year old misdemeanor assault charge should not prevent a Dubuque man from possessing a gun. Eric Schadl was charged with illegally possessing a .22 rifle in 2024 after police got a tip that a past conviction prohibited from having a gun. Shadl was convicted of domestic abuse assault causing injury in 2010.
Schadl argued the constitutionality of the indefinite firearm ban doesn’t stand up when considering the age of his conviction and the lengthy period he has gone without re-offending. The Supreme Court ruling says under what’s called the “strict scrutiny” standard, the state has failed to establish that the indefinite firearm prohibition against Schadl based on the 2010 conviction is the least restrictive means of achieving its interest in public safety.
The court vacated the firearm conviction.
