REGIONALâBig changes to state gun laws will only create small impacts in NâWest Iowa, according to firearm instructors and law enforcement officials. While Iowans will no longer need a permit to purchase and carry handguns, those without a permit still have to pass the federal background check to buy a gun at a store and the policy would only apply within state borders. Because Iowa already has lax firearm regulations, area firearm trainers and law-enforcement officials said they do not expect much to change. âThere are guns everywhere. There are a lot of gun permits that have been issued. We issue lots of them,â said Lyon County sheriff Stewart Vander Stoep. âThe ones that are getting gun permits, theyâre law-abiding citizens who are not trouble.â