Iowa Man Charged With Making Firearms Available To A Minor

A man has been charged after authorities said his son brought his gun to the Dubuque Community YMCA/YWCA as well as a school in Dyersville. 54 year old Peter Halligan of Oelwein is charged in Iowa District Court of Fayette County with making firearms available to a minor, a serious misdemeanor. His next court hearing is set for March 15th. Reports say that Halligan purchased a .22-caliber revolver and kept it at his residence. He failed to secure the handgun, and his son took the weapon from a dresser drawer and displayed it on two separate occasions. Authorities determined that the 12-year-old boy showed the firearm to other youth at the Dubuque Y on January 3rd. Dyersville Police also confirmed that Halligan’s arrest was related to an incident on January 4th when police discovered the handgun in the backpack of a student, Halligan’s son, at St. Francis Xavier School. Police say the handgun was not displayed or used in a threatening manner, nor were any threats made. The juvenile took ammunition for the gun as well, and the ammunition was found in the gun at school. The boy faces a charge of possession of a dangerous weapon by a minor in relation to the Dubuque Y incident and the boy faces a charge of carrying firearms on school grounds in relation to the Dyersville incident.