State v. Howse
Annotate this CaseAfter a bench trial, Defendant was found guilty of going armed with a dangerous weapon concealed on or about her person. The conviction stemmed from Defendant's act of carrying a stun gun with her in her purse. The court of appeals reversed the conviction, holding that there was insufficient evidence that the stun gun was a dangerous weapon. At issue before the Supreme Court was whether there was sufficient evidence to conclude that an inoperable stun gun - or a stun gun that has not been shown to be operable - qualifies as a dangerous weapon under Iowa Code 702.7. The Supreme Court vacated the decision of the court of appeals and affirmed the judgment of the district court, holding that a stun gun, even if inoperable, is per se a dangerous weapon under Iowa Code 702.7.
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