State of Iowa v. Taquala Monique Howse

ZAGER, Justice.

In this appeal, the defendant asks us to decide whether there was sufficient evidence in the record to conclude an inoperable stun gun — or a stun gun that has not been shown to be operable — qualifies as a dangerous weapon under Iowa Code section 702.7 (2011). The State argues that our previous opinion in State v. Geier, 484 N.W.2d 167 (Iowa 1992), controls, or alternatively, that this case only involves statutory interpretation of Iowa Code section 702.7 and error has not been preserved. We conclude that a stun gun is per se a dangerous weapon as defined in the statute.…